Just two Inches
by NyGi
Summary: What if the Dalek had missed that lever by mere inches? Rose never got stuck in Pete's World and continues travelling with the Doctor. Just as it should be: The Doctor with Rose Tyler in the TARDIS.
1. Chapter 1

Declaimer: I don't own anything. Not the setting, not the characters and certainly not the Doctor Who Universe :) If I did, I would have given David Tennant Billions for him to stay.

Ok, so I know this has been done a million times but in every story I've read Rose ends up immortal in the end and I just wanted to do a story, that was a little different.

This is not only my first Doctor Who Story, but also my first in English, so it would really help if you tell me what you thin and how to improve.

**Chapter 1**

**Doomsday**

Rose was holding on to the magna clamp for dear life. And as always in a life with the doctor: quite literally.

Cybermen and Daleks were flying past her so fast; she could hardly make out their forms. One of the Daleks zoomed past her in a blur, missing the lever by mere inches. For a second Rose allowed herself to think what would have happened if it had actually crushed into the lever: Would it have moved? Would the breach have closed too early? Would she have been able to pull it back?

She looked up to see the doctor smiling at her widely, his expression a mixture between pure joy and maniac excitement only he could muster: The Doctor. Her impossible Doctor.

Soon the flying creatures became less and less and out of the corner of her eyes Rose saw something move in front of the breach. Pete had materialized, arms stretched out wide, as if trying to catch something. He stared at her for a second, saw hers and the Doctors joyful expressions, smiled at her, pushed the yellow button and vanished again into another universe.

The pull lessened, the breach folded like a sheet of paper and just like that there was a whole universe between Rose and her Mum. She let go of the clamp, starring transfixed at the plain, white wall that had been a gateway to hell just seconds before. She knew what this meant for her now, but she didn't feel a thing. No sadness, no anger and certainly no regret. The truth, the finality of her situation, hadn't sunk in yet. Rose knew. Right now she only felt numb. And the Doctor's hand sliding into her own carefully, as if unsure what to do. Unsure? The Doctor? The man who always ran headfirst into danger? The man who never needed or even wanted a plan?

"I'm sorry, Rose. So sorry."

Mutely Rose looked up into his sad, pitying eyes. She knew it wasn't his fault. If anything, it was hers. But she hadn't been lying: She had made her choice a very long time ago. She would never leave him.

"I'm... I'm just really tired. Can we go home?", she asked and was shocked how broken and small she sounded.

The Doctor starred at her for a moment. "Home?", he whispered unsurely.

It took a moment for Rose to realize that he didn't know if she meant the Estate.

"Yeah, home. Back to the TARDIS."

He smiled at her, barely hiding the relief he felt, squeezed her hand and let her back to the TARDIS. Where she slipped into her always warm and welcoming bed and slept. Slept for hours, comforted by the soft noises that always accompanied life in the TARDIS.

She woke hours later, still tired and feeling as if her whole self was drowning in water. Everything seemed to be so incredibly far away. She made her way to the kitchen, not really hungry but feeling the need to do SOMETHING, anything really.

The table was set for one person, a steaming cup of tea and banana pancakes just waiting for her. Rose stared at the scene for a whole minute. Had the Doctor done this for her? Mr. "I don't do domestics"? She smiled softly, set down and enjoyed her breakfast. It was true, she had just lost her Mum, but... well, at least she knew that her mother was happy and safe somewhere. She had Pete and Rose... Rose had the Doctor.

She found him half an hour later, standing in the consol room and starring at some monitors. Even after two years, Rose had no idea at all what they did.

"Thanks for the breakfast.", she said. The Doctor had been so engrossed in whatever he was doing, that he almost jumped when he heard her voice.

"Well", he said, still sounding uncertain, "I thought you could use it."

"It was very nice.", repeated Rose and suddenly felt pretty awkward. She had no idea what to do next and the Doctor looked at her as if she was a bomb, ready to explode at any second or harsh movement.

"What are you doing?", she asked. She wasn't really interested, half of the time she didn't understand what he was saying anyway, but she loved how he tried to explain things to her. And right now, she just really needed to hear his voice to reassure her that she wasn't all alone in the universe. That he was still there.

"Oh, I'm looking for something... you know.", he answered evasively, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Actually, I really don't.", Rose said, now curious.

"Well, I'm looking for some crack or breach between the universes."

"Why?", she asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Just in case.", he muttered quickly. His hands were fiddling with some pieces of metal, still not looking at her at all.

"In case of what?" Rose was quickly loosing what little patience she could muster today. What the hell was he talking about? And why did he act like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar?

"In case you wanted to go back." He answered quietly. Rose felt as if her insides had turned into ice. Did he want her to go? He had sent her away and she had just come back. Not for a second had she considered the mere possibility that the Doctor might not want her to stay with him! What if... what if he didn't want to be the only person she had left in the universe? What if he thought of her as a burden? What if now she wasn't fun to be around anymore?

"Oh.", was all she could say. Unable to hide the deep hurt she felt, she continued softly: "Do you want me to go? Because: I don't have to stay here if you don't want me to."

"What? No! That wasn't what I meant. I thought... I thought maybe now you regret it, you know... not staying with your Mum.", the Doctor answered quickly.

Rose looked at him, as if he had completely lost his mind. "Every time you sent me away, I come back. I told you. I told you I would never leave you!" Her voice rising up in anger now.

"I just don't want you to have any regrets.", he said and finally looked at her, "I don't want you to wake up in a couple of month and realize, that there is no going back."

"There was no going back for a very long time now. I promised you forever.", she answered stubbornly.

"Okay then... Where to now?", he asked, his voice still sounding rather awkward, as if he couldn't believe that she was still there and promising not to go anywhere.

"I don't know... How about finally seeing the dogs without noses?", she suggested.

His eyes lit up and he started to make his usual dance around the consol, all the way chatting the same way he always did, with her standing by and pushing or pulling something he pointed out.

The Doctor with Rose Tyler in the TARDIS. Just like it was supposed to be.


	2. The Angry Bride

I'm very, very sorry for the long wait, but I had to realize, that writing in a different language is a lot harder, than I originally thought :(  
Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And I know it's still very close to cannon, but I promise that'll change soon. The characters just need a little time to grow :)  
If you find mistakes (which I'm sure you will) please feel free to tell me, I'd really appreciate it.  
And special, special thanks to RhizOneill, who took the time review. Thanks a lot, I am insanly greatful!

Chapter 2

The Angry Bride

Three month, one week and six days since Canary Wharf.

Even though Rose did her best not to think about it, she counted every day.

The Doctor did his best to keep her busy, always taking her to see new and exciting places, and Rose tried to smile and have fun, she really did, but... She couldn't help it.

She had considered talking to the Doctor about it, but she was sure that he felt responsible about what had happened to her Mum and she didn't want to add to that. He carried too much guilt already.

"So, Rose Tyler, tell me what you want to do next!", Rose heard the object of her musings shout from his usual spot near the console. She herself had just woken up, but since the Doctor rarely slept, he was as giddy and excited as most of the time.

She considered his question for a moment. There really was something she wanted, needed to do even, but she wasn't sure how the Doctor would react to that. She looked around for help, an inspiration maybe, and froze.

There, only a few feet away from her, stood a woman. In a wedding dress of all things!

The Bride gave a little shriek and turned around to stare right at Rose, who stared right back. The Doctor, who was still watching his precious monitors hadn't noticed a thing.

"Hello?", Rose asked carefully, "Who are you?"

"Who me?", the Doctor looked up and stared at her as if she had gone crazy. That was when he noticed the Bride.

"What?!"

"Who the hell are you?!", the redhead shouted at him in a loud and booming voice.

The Doctor didn't answer, he just stared and her open-mouthed and repeated: "What?"

"Where the hell am I and how did I get here?!"

Seeing as the Doctor still looked too shocked to answer, Rose decided that it might be time to interfere.

"Ah, hi.", she said waving slightly at the Bride, trying to hide her confusion and nervousness behind a friendly smile.

"I'm Rose and this is the Doctor."

"Fine Rose or whatever, where am I?!", The Bride shouted again and Rose flinched a little. Boy, that woman could shout.

Finally the Doctors brain decided to kick into gear, he stepped more or less in front of Rose and said: "You're in the TARDIS."

"The what?!"

"The TARDIS.", the Doctor repeated slightly annoyed.

"That's not even a proper word. You're just saying things!"

Rose couldn't help but snicker and the offended look on the Doctors face.

Their unexpected visitor didn't seem to share Rose's sense of humour. Rose really had to admire her for not looking scared, only really, really pissed off.

"How did you get here?", she asked carefully and shared a questioning look with the Doctor who slightly raised his left eyebrow, indicating that he had no idea.

"Obviously when you and your skinny boy toy kidnapped me!", the Bride answered venomously.

"We didn't kidnap you...", Rose started to answer at the same time as the Doctor asked: "What is a boy toy?"

"Are you a friend of Narys? Yes, you look like one. Oh, this practically smells of Narys. Did she put you up to this?"

The Doctor looked at Rose and mouthed "Narys?" and she answered by raising her shoulders. What the hell was going on here?

"Never mind that!", the angry Bride spit out and ran towards the door.

"No, wait!", the Doctor shouted and sprinted after her, but he didn't reach her in time. She had already thrown the doors wide open and now stood transfixed, starring at the open space in front of her.

She seemed to deflate right in front of their eyes. Every bid of anger leaving her. All that was left was a confused, scared woman in a wedding dress. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Rose was sure it would be pretty funny.

"So. Like Rose said: I'm the Doctor. What's your name?", the Doctor asked carefully, while pulling the scared woman slowly away from the open door.

"Donna.", she answered and turned around in a quick motion. As if you couldn't bare starring outside anymore.

"Well, nice to meet you, Donna.", Rose shipped in happily and flinched when she realized how forced her own voice sounded.

The Doctor meanwhile shut the doors and let this hand slide into one of his infamous pockets, coming up with his sonic screwdriver.

"Do you have any idea how you got here?", Rose asked her carefully.

"No.", Donna answered mutely.

"You are human, right?" The Doctor looked at her as if she was his new favourite science project and started to push some buttons on his screwdriver.

"Yes, why? Is that optional?", Donna whispered and started to look back and forth between Rose and the Doctor.

"Well, for me it is.", he answered in a matter of fact voice and started to wave the screwdriver in front of Donnas shocked face. Rose smiled at her sympathetically.

"What we're you doing, when you got here?", he asked offhandedly and didn't even notice when both women stared at him incredulously.

"I'm in my wedding dress! What do YOU think I was doing?!", Donna shouted at him, "Bowling?!"

The Doctor looked a little freighted at her and Rose started to find the whole thing pretty amusing again. At least Donna had found her courage.

"Ah, well...", stuttered the Doctor and looked hopefully into Rose's direction, who had decided that THIS was definitely his problem now.

"So, this is a ship?", Donna continued, not waiting for the Doctor to come up with something.

"Oh yes, it is.", the Doctor was quick to respond. Thankful, that he could actually answer her this time. But mostly occupied with his screwdriver, which had started to make it's usual noises. Donna starred at it, as if it might explode.

"Mh, no. Nothing. Nada. Rien. Nichts. Nothing in your blood. In your DNA, nothing to indicate how you got here."

"Will you stop it?! Stop waving this thing in front of my face!"

The Doctor flinched back a little and Rose was again amazed how a man like the Doctor, who faced all kinds of dangers on a daily bases, could be so awkward around one spunky woman.

„Take me back already!"

"Yes, right, back.", the Doctor answered distractedly and ran towards the console, "Where exactly are we going back to?"

"St. Mary's. Chiswick. London. England. Earth. The Solar System!", Donna bid out through her teeth and this time Rose really started to chuckle, when the Doctor looked like a kicked puppy at her harsh words.

"Right. London.", he answered and started his dance around the console again.

"So, are you a Martian, too?", Donna asked Rose while still eyeing the Doctor suspiciously.

"Oh no, I'm from London.", laughed Rose and was thankful that Donna hadn't started crying or had gone into shock.

"Did he kidnap you, too?", Donna continued.

"That's a tough question", answered Rose and smiled. She was sure Donna could be a great person to talk to, if she wasn't as stressed out as she was right now. "So... you're getting married today?"

Donna's face fell: "I was halfway down the aisle. Oh no, they'll be so worried."

"Don't worry, we'll be there in... now.", Rose continued, as she felt the TARDIS shutter around her.

"Oh thank God!" And Donna ran straight out of the door, followed directly by Rose and the Doctor.

"This is NOT St. Mary's! It's not even Chiswick! What kind of Martian are you?!"

"I'm not a Martian.", the Doctor answered slightly annoyed now, but mostly he seemed worried about the TARDIS.

"What do you think went wrong?", Rose asked him carefully, looking at the ship, that had become her home, as well.

"I don't know. Maybe she ingested something. I really don't know." And he stroked the blue exterior lovingly.

"You think it has something to do with Donna?"

"Probably, yes. It would be a weird coincident otherwise."

"Speaking of: Where IS Donna?"

"What?" both Rose and the Doctor looked around in a near panic, finally spotting Donna trying to hail a cap. Apparently she didn't have much luck.

"This people think I'm drunk. Or a transvestite.", Donna told them in a slightly hurt voice, when they reached her.

The Doctor looked Donna up and down and Rose was pretty sure, that Donna could hardly stop herself from slapping him.

" What's up with all the trees? Is it Christmas already?", asked the Doctor, hopping impatiently from one leg to the other, while Rose pulled her sweater closer.

"Duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve.", replied Donna in a snarky voice.

"Donna, I'm really not...", but before the Doctor could finish his sentence Donna screamed "Taxi!" again, cutting him short in mid-sentence.

"Doctor.", began Rose cautiously, "Don't know about you but I don't have any money on me."

Realization evident on his face, the Doctor turned to Donna and said: "Donna, neither of us has any money. How about you?"

"Money? Where would I put money?! I'm in my wedding dress! I don't have any..."

Rose stopped her with a quick "anyway", before Donna could work herself into a full stride. "Here, you take my phone and call your family. The Doctor and I are gonna get some money, ok?" She all but shoved her precious pink phone into Donna's hands and pulled the Doctor, who was starring at Donna again, with her.

"She is pretty rude, isn't she?", he remarked, as they both stood waiting in front of an ATM.

"And ginger.", Rose replied with a soft smile.

"Yes." the Doctor sighed wistfully.

"I'm sure she'd be great fun... if she weren't so stressed out.", Rose continued grinningly, "She certainly seems able to shut you up. Which is quit the feed."

"I have no idea what you're referring to.", the Doctor answered, sounding slightly miffed. While storming forward to point his sonic screwdriver at the ATM to get some cash.

Rose couldn't help but laugh openly, turned around to look in Donna's directions and saw chillingly familiar Santas playing a Christmas song.

"Doctor... Did you see those Santas?"

"What?", the Doctor grabbed the money, turned around as well and blanched.

"Oh oh, not good."

"Donna!", exclaimed Rose in a panicked voice and started running towards the angry bride, with the Doctor following closely behind and finally overtaking her, to see Donna entering a cap, waving at them and shouting: "Thanks for nothing!"

"Did she just steal my phone?", Rose asked the Doctor.

"Never mind that! Didn't you see the driver?! It's one of the Santas! Back to the TARDIS, now!" And off they ran again.

"This was the most ridiculous thing we've done in a very long time!", huffed Rose, as the Doctor held the fire extinguisher into the open TARDIS Door.

"I thought your flying was fantastic!", the Doctor grinned at her.

"Yeeees. I've set her on fire."

"I'm sure that wasn't you. For a spaceship, she doesn't do that much actual flying", he tried to reassure her.

Rose decided to let it go and looked worryingly and Donna: "Did we miss it?"

"Yeah.", Donna replied mutedly and set down at the edge of the building they had just parked the TARDIS on.

"Well, there's still the honeymoon.", remarked the Doctor, while sitting down between them , while Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Really? That was what he was going for?

"I suppose.", Donna answered, while looking down at the city below, "It's just a holiday now, though."

"Why did you want to get married at Christmas anyway?", he continued, completely oblivious to the fact that Rose was poking him to shut up.

"Can't stand it. Honeymoon in Morocco. Warm. Lovely."

"What I don't get, is what the Santas want with Donna.", Rose tried to interrupt the Doctor before he managed to depress Donna even more.

"And what exactly are they anyway?", Donna chipped in.

"Oh, your basic scavengers. We met them last Christmas, too.", the Doctor answered with a faraway look in his eyes.

"What was last Christmas?", Donna's confusion was obvious, when the Doctor looked at her sharply and said: "Great big space ship hovering over London...No?", he continued, when he saw Donnas uncomprehending face.

"I had a bit of a hangover."

Rose couldn't help it: she laughed.

"Anyway, back to my question please."

"And what a good question it was, as always.", suddenly the Doctor sprang into action, pulled out his omnipresent screwdriver again and pointed it at Donna, who starred at him, as if she had only just remembered, that he was actually there.

"Mh, why would they want you? It's weird, you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important..."

Rose hid her face inside her hands, as she heard the Doctor marching right into his doom.

"Oi! Do you get slapped a lot? That might explain your hair.", Donna growled at him and the Doctor, still seemingly oblivious, just looked at her, as if she was his new favourite science project. Again.

"What is it that you do for a living?"

"I'm a temp at HC Clemmons, that's how I met Lance. He's the head of HR. One day he just made me a coffee. That never happens! Nobody gets the temps a coffee!"

"How long ago was that?", the Doctor asked, his brain going in full on thinking mode.

"Six Months."

"Well, that's pretty fast to get married, isn't it?"

"Yes, but he kept nagging me and someday I just gave in.", answered Donna with a light, happy smile that made the Doctor suspect something else.

"What is it that HC Clemmons does anyway?"

"Security Codes and stuff. Just a fancy name for locksmith, if you ask me.

"Me... ", the Doctor muttered and slipped his hand into one of his famous pockets again and produced a small, golden ring.

"Here.", he said and held it out to Donna.

"Shouldn't you give that to your girlfriend over there?", Donna remarked grumpily and looked at the ring with disdain.

The Doctor ignored her comment completely and took her hand. "It's a biodamper. It will hide your signature until we can find out what those Santas are after."

Donna grumbled something incomprehensible. "You okay, Rose? You look kind of far away."

Surprised the Doctor turned around to look at his unnaturally mute companion, who had a forlorn look on her face and stared over the rooftops. He followed her gaze and flinched. The Powell Estate, she was looking at her home.

"What? Oh sorry, I was lost there for a moment.", Rose answered, with a small, sad smile blinking away tears. The Doctor grabbed her hand and pressed it comfortingly.

"Maybe we should look at the TARDIS, there's still the Reception to go to, right?"

"Oh, everybody will be so worried!", exclaimed Donna.

Or not. When the three arrived at the reception, the party was in full swing. People were laughing, eating and dancing and nobody even noticed their arrival at first.

"You had the reception without me?!" Donnas unbelieving exclamation cut through the party atmosphere as a man, who had just been dancing with a slender, blond woman turned around and looked at Donna in shock.

"They had the reception without me!", Donna shouted and looked at the Doctor and Rose for confirmation.

"Yes, I can see that.", answered the Doctor, with his usual tact.

"And why not? It's all paid for after all.", said the blonde woman in a snarky voice.

"Thank you, Nerys.", Donna huffed at her and immediately everyone started talking at once. Asking and demanding answers... Until Donna started to sob.

Rose starred at her in Wonder. Was she really loosing it? Now?! That was when Donna hugged her fiancé, turned around and winked at Rose and the Doctor.

"Ohhh, I REALLY like her.", smiled Rose and grinned at the Doctor.

Soon after that people calmed down and the party was in full swing again, with everyone dancing and talking. Except for Rose and the Doctor, who were standing at the bar, watching everything.

Or better yet: The Doctor was watching everything, probably running a million ideas through his head, while Rose was wishing that the Doctor might try to relax for once. She could really use a distraction right now... a dance would be perfect.

"Doctor...", she stared, but was interrupted by a nice looking young man, who smiled at her and said: "Hi, I'm Mark... would you... I mean... would you like to dance?" He looked at her with big hopeful eyes and Rose found herself smiling at him. If the Doctor wanted to just stand around, fine. She was determined to have some fun.

"Hey Mark, I'm Rose. And yes, I'd like that very much." She followed him onto the dance floor and wasn't surprised to see that the Doctor didn't even notice her leaving.

Mark actually was quiet nice and a good dancer, so Rose stayed on the dance floor for two songs before the Doctor joined them, patted Mark on the back and asked, if he could cut in. Mark looked questioningly at Rose, who smiled and nodded, and then left them alone.

"So, what have you found out?", Rose asked the Doctor lightly, as he grabbed her hand and placed the his other one her hip.

"What makes you think I found something? Maybe I just want to dance. I am a good dancer.", he told her, frowning slightly.

"Of course you are.", she replied, only sounding a little bit teasing.

"Weeeeell, I DID find something. The company Donna works for, it's a cover for Torchwood."

Rose froze. Her wide, unblinking eyes staring up at the Doctor. "Torchwood", she whispered.

"Yeah, and that can't be a good thing."

"Do you think it's a coincident?"

"Oh, how I'd like to believe that, but I don't. I really don't.", the Doctor told her quietly.

The danced silently for a while, totally content with each other, until Rose spotted a man, showing a clip to a couple of guys.

"Doctor, look over there. Do you think they filmed Donna vanishing?"

"Ohhh, brilliant, Rose, absolutely brilliant!", he took her hand and they ran over to the man holding the camera. "Can we see it?", Rose asked and smiled blindingly at him.

"Sure, yeah. The guys said I should sell it. I thought more about the news. It's really something."

Together they watched in fascination, as Donna screamed and erupted in golden light. Whereas Rose just thought it looked amazing, the Doctor starred at the monitor in shock.

"No. It can't be. No!", he exclaimed, running both his hands through his already messy hair.

"What can't be, Doctor?", Rose asked him worryingly.

"That's Huon energy, it's ancient, as old as the universe, but it no longer exists, it's... Oh no, it's so old, it can't be hidden by a biodamper!", in a panic he grabbed Rose's hand again and pulled her along, running over to Donna, who seemed to have a lot of fun dancing with Lance.

"Donna, we need to leave. Right away!", he exclaimed and all but shoved her off the dance floor.

"What are you on about now?!", Donna starred at him in anger.

"They are coming. We need to leave. Now.", with that he dragged both women behind him to the next door and froze in his steps, when they saw the Santas surrounding the door.

"Is there a back exit?", he asked urgently.

"Yes, this way. What's going on? You said I was save.", Donna's voice quivered a little in fear.

The Doctor didn't even slow down, so Rose took it upon herself to explain the little she knew: "The Doctor found out that the energy inside you is too old, to be hidden by a biodamper."

"Oh, isn't that...", but she didn't get to finish her sentence, as they reached the other exit, which was surrounded as well. A group of Santas was standing outside, one of them clutching what looked like a weird kind of remote control in both hands.

"Great, we are trapped."

"Doctor.", Rose suddenly asked with deep worry in her voice, "Do you see those trees? Donna, where did you get them?"

"I didn't.", Donna answered warily.

"Everyone! Get away from the trees!", the Doctor shouted and started to bodily pull people back.

"For god's sake, he's completely mad.", exclaimed Donnas mother angrily, "Oh look, how pretty."

Rose turned around in shock, when baubles started to lift of the tree and rise into the air. Everyone looked at them in awe... until they started to fire into the crowed. And then the Santas stormed into the room as well. For a moment Rose was lost in the mayhem that ensued. People running and screaming, she couldn't even find the Doctor. And then suddenly his voice rang loud and clear through the room: "You know, what you should never, never ever do? Let a man with a sonic device near a soundsystem!" The high, well-known noise that followed had most people holding their hands over their ears, but the Christmas decorations and Santas fell to the ground. Unmoving.

"Doctor, why would someone pay the Santas to kidnap Donna?", Rose asked softly while the Doctor kept scanning the dead Santa by his feet.

"I'm not sure someone did.", he answered, his brows creased in concentration as he let something slip into his ever expanding pockets, "Look at this. They are being controlled. They're not acting on their own."

"Doctor, there are people hurt. They need your help.", Donna's desperate voice cut in fom their left side, where she was checking up on a small child.

"Not that kind of a doctor.", he answered without even looking at her.

"I just think you might be able to help.", Donna continued softly, looking around at her family and friends with worried, guilty eyes.

"Right.", the Doctor exclaimed, sprang to his feet and grabbed Rose's hand, "let's find out was this is all about. Lance! Lance, you got a car Rose and I can borrow?"

Lance looked up in confusion when he heart the Doctor's voice and looked at Donna for confirmation, who took a deep, calming breath and asked: "Where are you going?"

"HC Clemmon, of course!", he answered and started towards the door, dragging Rose along.

"What?!", Donna shouted after him, "You're not going without me, Martian. You are the one who keeps saving my life! And what's got my job to do with this? "

"Everything!"

After one very awkward car ride, the four stood in a large office space starring at blueprints.

"So... Why exactly are we here again?", Donna asked, not even trying to hide her annoyance, as the Doctor didn't even seem to listen to her.

Rose took pitty on the woman, who was still in her weddingdress and had been through so much already that day. "HC Clemmons was a cover the Torchwood Institute", she explained with a slight hitch in her voice. Torchwood. Oh how she hated everything to do with that dreadful place.

"What's Torchwood?", Donna asked.

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf." the Doctor answered without even looking at her. Rose was sure that he didn't like to talk about it either.

"What's that?"

For the first time, both Rose and the Doctor not just looked, but starred at her. "Cybermen invading London... Daleks in the sky...", Rose started.

"I was in Spain.", Donna answered with a shrug.

"They had Cybermen in Spain...", the Doctor continued incredusly.

"I was scooberdiving."

"That big picture, Donna. You keep on missing it." Rose had to stiffen a laugh at his words. It was nice if it wasn't her he centered his "dribbeled-on your-shirt-look" on.

"More importantly, Torchwood was destroyed... But HC Clemmons stayed in business... Doing what exactly?"

"Does it have something to do with the Huon-Energy inside Donna?", Rose asked with a worried look at the woman.

"Quiet possibly, yes.", he answered. A second later his head whipped around as he studied Donna intently.

"What's Huon-Energy?", Donna's voice wasn't even panicky anymore, she just sounded so tired, that Rose wanted to go over and hug her, wondering why that wasn't was her FIANCÈ was doing.

"It's impossible, for starters. Huon-Energy doesn't exist anymore. My people got rid of it ages ago. The only remnant know is... inside the heart of the TARDIS. Ohhhhhh, that's it!" Giddy as a child he grabbed the next best thing and started to explain, while bouncing up and down full of excitement, "When the Huon-Particles inside you activated, they drew you to the only other source... our TARDIS."

Rose heart skipped a beat, when she heard the Doctor say these words: "Our TARDIS. OUR TARDIS" Was that it then? She wasn't a guest, not a companion... she belonged there? With him?

Totally oblivious to her inner turmoil, Donna and the Doctor continued their discussion: " I'm a pencil inside a mug?"

"Yes, you are. Sums you up. Now...! Let's find out what's really being done here.", he took Rose's hand and entered the lift.

"Tell me, Rose, how is it possible that we there is a button for lower basement, when there is none on the buildings blueprints?"

"Torchwood snug in and built it.", she answered, grinning widely at him. Oh, how she loved this. Riddles, thinking, investigating, saving people. She knew, the Doctor feared, that she regretted staying with him, that she'd rather be with her Mum, Mickey and Pete. But she didn't. Not one second. And maybe, she thought guiltily, that was the whole problem.

"It needs a key.", Donna interrupted Rose's musings again, as she entered the lift as well.

"Well, we've got this.", the Doctor grinned and held up his screwdriver.

"Lance?", Donna asked her fiancé, who hadn't said one thing the whole time, expectantly.

"Maybe I should...", he started nervously.

"Get in!", Donna interrupted him in a rather commanding fashion. Lance entered mutely and pretty frightened looking. Poor Lance, Rose thought, he definitely wasn't companion material. Unlike Donna.

"To honour and obey.", the Doctor commented under his breath.

"Tell me about it, mate.", replied Lance the same way.

"Oi!", warned Donna sharply. At the same time Rose hissed: "Rude."

"Looks like you are one to talk.", Lance mumbled at the Doctor, who looked like a kicked puppy, while the two women glared at him dangerously.

"Oh look, transportation.", he tried to deflect their attention as soon, as they existed the weirdly silent lift.

They stopped in front of a door, that was labelled as "Authorized Torchwood Personnel Only", so naturally the Doctor had to take a look.

"You wait here.", he told his three companions, while looking up the ladder, that seemed to stretch on forever, "I'll be back in a hurry."

"You better.", Rose told him, concern evident in her voice. She had always worried about him, but now? Now it felt as if he was all she had left. Well, she thought, if she was honest with herself... he really WAS the only thing she had left. What would she ever do without him?

"Always.", he tried to assure her and started to climb up, out of sight.

"Donna.", Lance now decided to speak up, "Are you sure about this? What are we going to do?!"

"What?", Donna asked him, evidently not having heard a word he had been saying.

"What are we going to do?", Lance repeated desperately.

"Oh, I thought July.", Donna answered without even looking at him, and Rose couldn't help but snicker at her words.

It was a shame, really, she thought. Donna wasn't made out for a normal, boring life. Excitement and danger seemed to suit her much better.

The Doctor chose just that moment to literally drop down, exclaiming: "Thames-Flood-Barrier. We are right underneath. Torchwood must have snug in and build this place."

"Sounds like them.", Rose grumbled.

"What? Like a secret base hidden right under a major city landmark?", Donna asked wide-eyed.

"I know. Unheard of.", the Doctor answered in a businesslike manner, before winking at Rose and taking her hand again, pulling her through another door, which held a lab.

"Uhhhhh, Rose, look at this!", he exclaimed grinningly, "It's stunning, isn't it."

"Absolutely.", he answered in the voice she especially reserved stuff she didn't get anyway.

"What does it do?", Donna asked, while looking at the obviously complicated machinery stretching through the whole room.

"Particle extrusion.", he answered running through the room, "Hold on... Ohhhh, brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huan-Particles. Cause my people destroyed them. Unravelled their atomic structure."

Rose cut him of, before he could wind himself into a lengthy explanation, "How can they manufacture something they can't even know about?"

The Doctor paused and looked at her in awe. "Absolutely no idea. Which makes it even more brilliant. Brillianter. Brill..."

"We get it, Doctor, really.", Rose smiled at him affectionately.

"Your people? Who exactly are your people?", Lance intercepted, suddenly very interested, "What company do you represent?"

"Oh, Rose and I, we are freelancers, aren't we? But this lot has been rebuilding them. Ohhh, they've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base... and the result: Huon particles in liquid form.", he said, holding up a vial with something looking like water inside it.

"And that's what's inside of me?", Donna asked mutely.

Instead of responding, the Doctor turned something on top of the vial and the liquid started to glow... and so did Donna.

"Oh my God!"

"See? Absolute genius. Because the huon particles need a living body to catalyse... then trade the body and...", here a stopped, obviously having realized something important. And Rose felt excitement well up inside of her. Whatever it was he had just figured out. It must have been a very, very important piece of the puzzle... if not the whole thing itself.

"Ahhhh, the wedding! Yes, that's it. You're getting married!", he started again, voiced raised in excitement, "And you were walking down the aisle! Oh, you're body is a battleground! There is a chemical war inside. Adrenaline..."

The Doctor ranted on, but Rose didn't manage to follow him any longer, she was distracted by Donna's less then happy face. And even if the Doctor didn't seem to see what happened next coming, Rose certainly did.

Donna slapped him right in his face.

"What did I do?!", he asked her in hurt, almost boyish way.

"Are you enjoying this?", she asked him in a much calmer voice, then Rose would have thought. Yes, she was sure now, Donna would make a great companion, "Right. Just tell me: This particles. Are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

"Yes.", he hurried to reassure her. Oh boy, was this him a bad liar, Rose thought pityingly, as she watched Donna realize the same thing.

"Doctor.", Donna tired again, "If your lot got rid of huon particles... Why did they do that?"

And Rose was sure, that she already new the answer. She just needed to hear it from him.

"Because the were deadly.", he answered, that unique mixture of pity, grief and guilt in his voice, that was so unmistakably "Doctor".

"Oh my God.", Donna breathed, panic and desperation evident.

"I'll sought it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you: I'll reverse it. I'm not about to loose someone today. WE are not about to loose someone.", he promised her and squeezed Rose's hand tightly.

"Oh, she's long since been lost.", a cackling voice, that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, rang through the lab. The Doctor tightened his grip around Rose's hand again, almost painfully so, as they all looked around for the source.

Right at that moment, the wall directly in front of them started to raise.

"I've been waiting so long. Hibernating at the edge of the universe. Until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken me."

While the Doctor and Donna looked at the wall, that wasn't a wall at all, Rose's eye followed Lance, who had been suspiciously silent throughout their adventure. Well, she thought, maybe he wasn't very talkative... with a woman like Donna, that might me a good thing. But right now, Lance opened the door, he had stayed close to the whole time, lay a finger on his lips, when he saw Rose, and vanished through the door.

At the same time at least a dozen robots, but without the Santa costume, appeared above them, pointing pretty big guns.

"Uuuhhhh, look. Someone's been digging.", the Doctor said, completely ignoring the robots and looking down an enormous hole, that looked perfectly round, "Yes, very Torchwood. Built by laser. How far does it go?", he asked looking up.

Rose starred at the hole in horror. She didn't like this. She didn't like it at all. The Doctor did not have the best track record when it came to him and impossibly deep holes. Panic welling up inside her, she grabbed the Doctors arm tightly, clinging on to him for dear life. Her hands started to shake, her head felt dizzy and she had trouble breathing.

The unknown voice obviously answered the Doctors question, but she couldn't hear a thing. Everything felt so far away now, blood was rushing though her ears, drowning out anything else, but the Doctor's arm under her trembling fingers.

"Rose?", Donna's worried voice sounded so far away, Rose almost didn't here it.

Rose was thrown back into reality, as a gigantic, enormous spider materialized on a nearby platform, hissing and whizzing in some kind of evil pleasure.

"Racnoss!", the Doctor uttered, starring at it in disbelieve. Had he even noticed that something wasn't all right with her? Rose asked herself bitterly, when she felt Donna's calming, reassuring hand on her back.

"But that's impossible. You are one of the Racnoss."

"Empress of the Racnoss.", she confirmed gloatingly.

"If you are the Empress, where is the rest of the Racnoss? Or are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind.", the Empress acknowledged simply. and Rose thought it was a testament to the Doctor's confusion, that he didn't answer her in anyway. Normally he couldn't help showing of his intelligence, no matter the danger they were in.

"That's it.", he explained to Rose and Donna, "The Racnoss come from the Dark Ages. billions and billions of years ago. They were carnivores, omnivores. They devoured whole planets."

"Racnoss are born starving!", the empress backed him up, "Is that our fault?"

"They eat people?", Donna asked in a really repulsed sounding voice and Rose was kind of envious, that Donna could still be surprised about that. Had she been that naive, when she first started travelling with the Doctor.

Instead of just telling Donna the truth about something, the Doctor did, what he liked to to the most: She let her see for herself.

"HC Clemmons. Did he wear those black and white shoes?"

"Yes, he did. We used to laugh, called him a fat cat in spats.", Donna answered enthusiastically. The Doctor just pointed to the huge spider web behind the empress, where remains of a body where visual. Wearing black and white shoes.

"Oh my God!"

"My Christmas Dinner.", stated the empress gleefully.

"But you shouldn't even exist! The fledging empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out!", the Doctor exclaimed almost in awe. But Rose did no longer listen. She had spotted Lance coming up behind the empress, carrying what looked like... was that an axe?! Donna had obviously seen him as well, for she did her best to distract the empress, by forcefully demanding an answer to how she had ended up with huon particles in the first place. Oh yes, Rose liked her more and more. Even the Doctor looked kind of impressed, stepping back to let Donna do her thing.

Right until Lance not only failed to kill that giant spider, but started laughing in a cruel, twisted way. The Doctor stepped partly in front of Rose now, so he stood right next to Donna, when he whispered: "I'm sorry, Donna."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?", she asked him and Rose finally removed her one hand from the Doctors arm to lay it on Donna's, "Lance. Don't be so stupid. Get her!", she tried to encourage her fiancé. Obviously not wanting to admit the truth.

"God, she's thick. Month I had to put up with her. Month! A woman, who can't even point to Germany on a map."

The look of utmost shock and betrayal, that crossed Donna's face, almost broke Rose's heart. Sick, sick bastard, she thought, for once not showing compassion or understanding, as she listened to the Doctor explaining, how Lance had poisoned Donna over month.

"But... we were getting married.", Donna stated disbelievingly.

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I were stuck with a woman, who things the hight of excitement is a new flavour Pringle!", Lance spat at her.

Rose had it know. She was sick of people trampling all over others. Hurting, betraying people they were supposed to love or protect, people who just took advantage of the trust others placed in them... Gelth... Slitheen... Torchwood... Satalite 5... Krillitans...

"Shut up!", she screamed, "Just shut up!" For the first time the empress and Lance even acknowledged the fact, that she existent, while the Doctor explained what had happened to Donna.

"How can you just stand there, you sick..."

"Rose.", the Doctor interrupted her softly, "Don't. He's not worth it."

"I will not have him there... abusing my friend!", she hissed, grabbing Donna's arm tighter.

"Abusing?", Lance scoffed, "I deserve a medal for putting up with her."

"Oh", the Doctor thundered at him, "is that what she's offered you? And what exactly are you? Her consult?"

"That's better than a night with her.", Lance retorted venomously, pointing at Donna, who flinched as if he'd hit her.

"But I... I love you.", she told him quietly.

"That's what made it easy.", Lance rubbed it in. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand tighter again. This time to stop her from bodily throwing herself at Lance to strangle him.

"It's like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What's the point of it all, if the human race is so tiny. And the empress... she can give me a chance to... to go out there and see it. The size of it all. I'm sure you understand that, don't you, Doctor?"

"Who is this little physician?", the empress asked, before the Doctor could answer.

"Mars.", Lance answered pointing at Donna, "She said Martian."

"Ohhuu", the Doctor tried to deflect the question, "I'm sort of... homeless. But what's down there. The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you 4000 miles down? That's just the core of the earth, isn't it?"

"I think he wants us to talk.", Lance's patronizing tone made Rose want to punch him even more, "Well tough! All we need is Donna."

"Kill this little Doctor-Man... and his angry little pet!", the empress chimed in, addressing the almost forgotten Robots above their heads.

"Don't you heard them!", Donna screamed, stepping in front of Rose and the Doctor.

"No, Donna, don't worry. It's all-right.", The Doctor tried to assure her, when the robots raised there weapons.

"Take aim!", the empress commanded.

"Wait! Except, I just wanna point out the obvious.", the Doctor tried to intercept the empress' speech, but she wasn't listening at all, "Ts ts ts, just hold on. Just a tick. If you think about it: The particles inside Donna activated and through her inside my spaceship. So... reverse it... and the spaceship comes to her." And only a split second later, Donna, the Doctor and Rose stood together inside the control-room of the TARDIS. The Doctor ran over to the console and threw them into the vortex, before running over to Rose and gripping both of her arms.

"Are you allright?", he urged her desperately, "Are you hurt?!"

"No", Rose assured him, "I think we should rather worry about Donna."

"I'm talking about before. Your... your panic-attack. Are you allright now?!"

"That wasn't... I didn't... That wasn't a panic-attack!", Rose exclaimed in horror.

"Was it?", she looked at the Doctor questioningly, almost pleadingly.

"I think so, yes.", he said, hugging her closely.

"Let's... let's talk about it later, yeah. Got other things to worry about right now.", Rose answered, leaning into his embrace even more.

"This is a time machine. We've got all the time in the world. Actually... More then that.", he tried to cheer her up, but couldn't hide the deep concern in his voice.

But Rose entangled herself from his arms and walked over to Donna, who said crying in the pilot's seat.

"I'm sorry, Donna. So, so sorry.", Rose tried to comfort her, knowing full well, that there really wasn't anything she could say. What did you say to someone, who was just betrayed so... deeply? So they just sat there, Rose holding Donna, whispering nonsense and rubbing her back soothingly.

"We've arrived.", the Doctor interrupted them carefully, "The beginning of earth. Further back, than we're ever gone before, Rose and I. Wanna come and see?"

"Donna breathed in deeply, trying to collect herself. "I suppose.", she said and Rose smiled warmly at her. Donna was strong, stronger than anyone, even Donna herself, gave her credit for.

"Come on.", the Doctor encouraged her, walking over to the TARDIS doors. "No human has ever seen this. You'll be the first."

Rose smiled in anticipation. No matter the circumstances, she'd never get sick of this. The Doctor waited until the two women had reached him, before I opened the doors, saying: "Donna Noble... Dame Rose Tyler, welcome to the creation of earth."

Rose didn't even hear the Doctor's explanation of everything. She was just starring in wonder and awe at space outside the TARDIS and Donna, she knew, did exactly the same. Tears and hurt seemed to be forgotten for a moment, as they all looked outside.

"Where is the earth?", Donna asked, still not looking away from the scenery outside.

"All around us.", the Doctor informed her, grinning happily, "In the dust."

Rose managed to look at Donna in anticipation, what was her reaction going to be?

"Puts the wedding in perspective.", Donna stated softly and Rose smiled at the Doctor, "Lance was right: We are just tiny."

"But that's what you do. The human race. Making sense out of chaos. With weddings...", the Doctor explained joyfully, but Rose stopped to listen. These words weren't really meant for her, but for Donna. She didn't need to hear them. She'd rather just enjoy the beautiful view. That's it, she thought, that's the reason I'm travelling. Seeing new and exciting things. Witnessing stuff none had ever seen before. She looked over to the Doctor and her smile grew even wider. Who am I kidding here? I'm not only here, because of that. It's a bonus, she thought, I'm here for HIM.

Before she could congratulate herself for that very important piece of self-revelation, she was interrupted by the arrival of what looked like a spiky star, pulling in everything around it .

"Ohhh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the earth. They BECAME the centre of the earth!", exclaimed the Doctor, a look of pure fascination on his face.

Right at that moment the TARDIS gave a frightening lurch and the Doctor slammed the TARDIS doors shut in front of them.

"What was that?!"

"Trouble!", the Doctor answered shortly, running over to the console.

The TARDIS started to shake dangerously now and while Donna held on for dear life, Rose ran over to assist the Doctor in any way she could.

"Particles pulling particles. They are pulling us back! Rose, pull that.", the Doctor directed Rose in a well-rehearsed way.

"Can't we stop it? Reverse it somehow?", Donna screamed, no clutching nearby coral, as to not stand in the Doctor's and Rose's way.

"No! We... but... oh!", the Doctor shouted, running over to the old extrapolater they taken from Margrete the Slitheen such a long time ago, wiring it into the TARDIS.

"Haha!", he continued, when they suddenly stopped.

"What did you do?", Rose asked as he ran outside the TARDIS door and they stood in a corridor outside the lab.

"I couldn't stop it. I just rerouted us a couple of meters.", he explained, while listening to a nearby wall.

"But I still don't understand...", Donna started, when something hit Rose from behind and everything went black.

Rose's first thought was "Ouch!", followed closely by "Stop those drums!"

"How are you feeling?", the Doctor's worried brown eyes appeared before her, when she finally managed to open her eyes.

"Ouch.", she repeated mutely, feeling the grates below her. Why was she lying in the TARDIS?

"What happened?"

"Those robots must have hit you on the head. Found you lying on the floor... and Donna was gone.", he explained, barely contained anger in his voice.

"Donna! Is she...?"

"I'm here. I'm all-right.", Donna assured her and Rose finally sat up and turned around to see Donna kneeling behind her.

"I carried you into the TARDIS and went to look for Donna.", the Doctor continued, his eyes still scanning her constantly, "Didn't really have the time to make sure you were fine. We can do that now."

"I was just knocked out.", Rose said, angry at her self, "It wasn't the first time. Probably won't be the last time, either."

"True.", chuckled the Doctor, but he wasn't fooling her. He was still incredibly angry. Well, she thought, he never took it too well, when someone hurt her, "The Racnoss are gone. So are the huon particles. Donna is all safe now. In fact, we've just landed outside her home."

"Oh great!", Donna said and ran outside, followed slowely by the Doctor, who had helped Rose up and had his arm around her protectively.

"What do you think about Donna?", he whispered.

"I really, really like her. Why?", Rose asked and looked up at him.

"Weellll, I thought about asking her to... you know, travel with us for a bit, but... can't do that without asking you now, can I?", he grinned at her and she felt pure joy bubble up inside of her. I had asked her. He had really asked her. Her opinion mattered to him!

When they reached Donna, she stood outside the TARDIS and looked sadly at her parent's home, "I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow in one day... sort of."

"I couldn't save him.", the Doctor answered quietly and Rose leaned into him. He always took every loss an a personal failure. She'd ask him later what exactly had happened, to assure him, that it really wasn't his fault.

"He deserved it!", Donna spat out forcefully and Rose suspected, that she said it more to convince herself of that, rather than anyone else.

The Doctor just looked at her and she faltered under his understanding eyes, admitting: "No, he didn't. I better get inside. They'd be worried."

Rose followed her gaze to see her parents standing next to a Christmas tree, hugging each other closely. Christmas, she thought sadly, how great, how beautiful and happy had there last Christmas been. With her new Doctor, Mickey and her Mum. All of them getting along, laughing and just enjoying life. All gone now. Did her Mum and Mickey still celebrate Christmas together? They had grown so close, after she had started to travel with the Doctor. Her Mum had kind of adopted Mickey, who didn't have any family left. Hopefully they were happy now with Pete, living in a big mansion. The Doctor seemed to feel where her thoughts were going and held her even closer, rubbing circles on her back.

"You should really appreciate this more, Donna.", Rose told her mutely, "Christmas with the people, who love you. Don't take them for granted."

Donna looked at her with wide eyes, probably trying to figure out what had happened to Rose's family.

"What do you think, Rose. Christmas without at least some kind of snow?", the Doctor chimed in, before Donna could say anything. E turned around and did something inside the TARDIS, that they couldn't see.

A bright ball erupted from the TARDIS and exploded in the sky, only seconds later snow began to fall softly.

Donna started to laugh and turn around herself in joy, as she opened her arms and just felt the snow around her and Rose let go of the Doctor, to do the same, Snow, real snow... no ash or other sign of destruction.

"I can't believe you did that!", laughed Donna.

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation.", he answered, leaning against the TARDIS casually and lifting his arm, when Rose came over to join him again.

"Merry Christmas.", Donna told them with an almost loving smile on her face.

"Merry Christmas.", they answered simultaneously.

"Sooo, what will you do with yourself now?"

"Not getting married, for starters.", Donna sighed, "And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I don't know... travel? Walk in the dust."

"Well, you could always... come with us.", the Doctor told her with hopeful eyes.

"No.", she simply answered and Rose felt the smile slip of her face, as the Doctor tried to hide his disappointment behind a quick: "Okay."

"No really, I can't. Everything we did today. Do you live your life like that?"

"Not all the time.", the Doctor answered and Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think you do... and I couldn't.", Donna explained. Had Rose really misjudged her so much. She could have sworn, that this was perfect for Donna. And perfect for them. They needed someone like her, someone brand new.

"But you've seen it out there: It's beautiful.", the Doctor told her, obviously not understanding, how anyone could turn this opportunity down.

"And it's terrible. The whole place was flooded and burning and they were dying and you stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. And then you made it snow! I mean, you scare me to death!"

Rose stared at her in horror, then at the Doctor, who looked deeply wounded behind his calm exterior. What the hell had happened, while she was unconscious?!

He took his hand and smiled up at him, when he turned around to look at her. It didn't matter. Whatever happened, she would never be afraid of him and right now she needed him to know that. Rose felt anger rise inside of her. If Donna didn't want to come, that was her choice, but who was she, to make the Doctor, who had just saved her and countless others, feel bad about himself? Didn't he carry enough guilt already?

She turned around to look at Donna, who recoiled a little, when she saw the fury in her eyes.

"Maybe he needs you more than you realize.", Donna simply told her, "Tell you what we will do, though: Christmas Dinner. Oh, come on."

"I don't do that sort of thing.", the Doctor said, while his body already arched back inside the TARDIS. He was itchy now. Needed to get away. She had turned him down, Rose knew he wouldn't want to stay now. And if she was honest: neither did she.

"Never? You might as well, Mum always cooks enough for twenty.", Donna tried to convince them, but Rose didn't think she could take it right now. Christmas without her Mum... Christmas with someone else's Mum.

"I don't think so, Donna. We've got somewhere to be.", she told Donna, barely holding back the tears, that threatened to fall.

Donna seemed to realize, that it was hopeless and smiled at the two of them: "Am I ever gonna see you again?"

"If we're lucky.", the Doctor told her, a trace of his normal self back in his voice.

"Take care then... of each other.", she answered.

"Oh, we will. We always so.", Rose smiled at her and before he had made that decision consciously, she hugged Donna tightly, who whispered in her ear: "Take good care of him. I think he needs someone to stop him. Sometimes."

Rose let go and looked at Donna. Her first instinct had been to get angry again, but then she remembered all her travels with the Doctor. And maybe... just maybe Donna was right.

"I will.", she turned back to stand next to the Doctor, who now stood inside the TARDIS, ready to close the door.

"Good luck ten, Donna. And... just be magnificent.", he told her, gave a last wave and closed the door.

"Right!", he said, smiling at Rose,while he manoeuvred the TARDIS into the Vortex "First the med bay... where to then?"

"Doctor.", Rose started slowly, "Can we... Could we... Maybe..."

"What?", he looked at her with wide, trusting eyes.

"Could we go back to the estate? I... well... I'd like to get the stuff from the flat. Don't won't someone else to have it, you know? All my Mum's and Dad's stuff... it doesn't feel right."

"Of course we can. We'll find a good room for them here, okay?", he said, hugging her again.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."


	3. One step forward

I'd really like to thank Elin and Jadzia Lillian Potter for being so kind and leaving a review. Thank you so much and I hope you're still with me, even if it took abnormally long to update

**Chapter 3**

One step forward

Rose Tyler was bored out of her mind.

Let's go investigate, he'd said.

Let's check in, he'd said.

It will be the perfect opportunity.

Investigate my ass, thought Rose angrily, as she lay in her hospital bed with no sign of the Doctor.

He was doing all the investigating, while she had to lay here and do absolutely nothing. Except for faking some stupid symptoms. Great, she thought, it's like being back in school, trying to convince Mum that I'm sick.

Her less than nice thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her doctor, Mr Stoker, and what seemed to be his medical students.

"A very good morning to you, Mrs Tyler. How are you feeling this morning? Rose Tyler. Admitted late last night with severe abdominal pains." he explained with a friendly smile towards her. For a split second Rose feared she really looked like a Mrs already... was she aging this fast?! Would people start calling her "Mam" soon?" Then she remembered the Doctor and that he'd accompanied her last night. And pretended to be her husband so he could stay with her. Of course, she sight in relief, they thought she was married to the Doctor.

The students seemed to take her sigh as a sign, that she wasn't feeling any better, at all.

"Well... Still not very good. ", she answered Mr Stoker's question noncommittally.

"Let's see then... Jones, what do you think?"

A dark skinned pretty young woman stepped forward and listened to Rose's heartbeat for a moment, before looking up at her superior with a somewhat helpless expression.

Rose really pitied her. How was she supposed to find anything, when Rose was (as the Doctor put it so nicely) healthy as a horse?

"I don't know... stomach cramps?", Jones asked hopefully.

"That's a symptom, not a diagnoses.", Doctor Stoker reprimanded her. Annoyance evident in his face, "And you rather failed basic procedure, when you didn't consult the patient's chart first." He picked it up, just to let it fall, when he got an electric shock.

"That happened to me this morning!", exclaimed Jones and her fellow students chimed in, all having experienced the same thing. Rose listened intently. She'd tell the Doctor about this later, maybe it would help him somehow. Apparently that was all the help she was allowed to give.

"Not to worry, it's just static electricity. We have a thunderstorm moving in, which is a form of static electricity. Proven by? Anyone?", Mr Stoker looked at his students with a look of utter disappointment on his face.

"Benjamin Franklin.", another voice sounded happily, as the Doctor appeared next to Rose and squeezed her arm in greeting.

"Correct.", Mr Stoker said and looked at the Doctor, obviously trying to measure him up.

"Ah, my mate Ben. That was a day and a half. Fist I got soaked...", and before the Doctor could continue his babbling and get them both in trouble, Rose pinched him in his hand. Hard. The Doctor winced and made an involuntary step back, while Dr. Stoker and the students looked at him, as if they weren't sure he was joking or if he was seriously ill. Jones, Rose noted with surprise, was actually starring at the Doctor's tie. Huh, what was that about?

"Anyway...", Dr. Stoker continued, "Someone will be with you shortly, Mrs Tyler."

"Thank you.", Rose smiled up at him, still holding the Doctor's hand in a vicelike grip, which looked incredibly awkward since he was now standing as far away from her, as possible.

Rose waited until they were all out of sight before she released the Doctor's hand, who held it to his chest protectively and whined: "What did you do that for?!"

"Oh honestly, Doctor, you can't tell them stuff like that! They already think I'm weird, because they can't find anything. If you start acting like a lunatic, they'll throw us out... although... I'm bored. So please do."

"They wouldn't think that.", the Doctor huffed, "People think I'm adorable."

"Yes, sure.", Rose answered, rolling her eyes mockingly, but she couldn't help smiling when he looked at her like a lost puppy.

"Did you find anything? At all?"

"Oh yes, it's great! They even have a little shop down there... Oh, you know how I love those!", he grinned enthusiastically. But that grin faded pretty quickly, when he realized that Rose didn't seem to share said enthusiasm.

"A shop. You found a shop."

"Weeellll, yes. And I brought you something to read.", he continued carefully, producing a magazine out of one of his pockets, "Since I figured you might be bored."

"Might?", she said, but smiled at him nonetheless, "If you haven't found anything by now, do you think you will? Because I'm pretty sure they'll kick me out soon... or decide it's a case for psychiatrics."

"Maybe you staying here wasn't such a good plan. At least we know now, that whatever is causing these plasma coils is not inside the hospital. Why don't you get dressed, we'll sneak out and try to find out what's going on another way?", he offered. Rose was pretty sure, that he'd have loved to investigate further, but knew very well, that she would NOT be happy about staying any longer inside a hospital bed. She decided to bodily through the Doctor behind the thin curtain that separated her from the rest of the patients, so she could actually get dressed. She was just about to put her shoes on, when the world gave a frightening lurch and all hell broke loose. People were screaming, equipment flaying and sparking and Rose's bed fell over, almost crushing her underneath. Just as soon as it had started, it stopped. Silence fell over patients and personnel alike. Before everyone seemed to start screaming at once. Rose tried to untangle herself from her thin blanket and the stupid curtain her bed had torn down, when the Doctor came to her aid. He pulled her to her feet and asked her worriedly: "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"Urgh, why does something like this happen to me all the time now?", Rose answered and looked around, trying to find out what the hell had happened.

"What do you mean "now"? You were always quite... jeopardy friendly.", the Doctor reminded her and seeing that she wasn't hurt, pulled her after him, when between all the shouting going on, they heard another voice, calm and clear: "They are not exactly airtight. If the air was gonna be sucked out, it would have happened straight away."

The Doctor smiled at Rose as if to say: "Oh look, intelligent life forms" before he grabed her hand and tuned towards the voice: "Excellent point. Brilliant even. What's your name again?"

"Martha.", she answered, watching both the Doctor and Rose, carefully.

"Jones, right?", Rose chimed in, smiling at her young doctor. Before taking a look outside. The Doctor might have realized what was going on, but he hadn't had the time yet. Was that the moon?! Before she could ask the Doctor about it, he continued talking to Martha: "Right then, Martha Jones. Question is: How are we still breathing?"

"We can't be.", the woman next to them panicked.

"We are. So stop wasting my time.", the Doctor snapped at her and Rose muttered a quick "Rude.", under her breath, before she lay an arm around the distressed woman and looked outside as well. The moon, definitely the moon. They had been here before, of course. But inside the protection of the TARDIS. The TARDIS. That was currently parked on a sidewalk at earth. Rose groaned as that realization hit her.

"Martha, is there a balcony or veranda on this floor?", the Doctor asked, looking out of the window intently.

"By the patients lounge, yeah.", Martha answered. Seemingly unsure what to do next.

"Can you show us where?", he continued.

"Sure."

"We might die.", the Doctor simply told her.

"We might not."

Rose felt a smile creep up her face, when she heard that answer. Martha had obviously passed the Doctor's test, which he aknowledged with a quick "Good." but at the same time felt a little nervous about the whole thing. Martha was young, beautiful and smart and... Rose cursed herself. She wasn't normally the jealous type and the Doctor didn't give her any reason to. Except for Reinette, a little, mean voice sounded in the back of her head. Shut it, she told that voice. She didn't have the right to be jealous. The Doctor and she were just friends. Nothing else. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day you'll actually believe it. Shut up!

"Come on.", said the Doctor and pointed at the woman Rose was still trying to comfort, "Not her. She'd hold us up." Before Rose could protest, he took her hand again and she had to hurry to keep up with him, Martha falling into pace next to her, making their way through a mass of devastated people, who had stopped screaming and were now simply sitting around, doing nothing.

When they reached the patients lounge, the Doctor gave Rose an excited grin and opened the door, leading them outside.

Rose looked at the earth in wonder- No matter how often they did something like this, it was still amazing. But the best thing, Rose realized, was Martha's absolutely joyful expression and the Doctor's wide grin. That's why he did it, Rose knew, taking people along. It's like giving a present, she thought, the best thing is the happiness on the faces of the others.

"We've got air... how does that work?"

"Just be glad it does.", the Doctor answered, looking down at the surface of the moon.

The reality of the situation finally seemed to hit Martha: "I've got a party tonight. My brother's 21st. My mother's gonna be really... really..."

"You okay?", the Doctor asked her, unable to hid the tiniest glimmer of disappointment in his voice. He probably thought Martha would break down now, but Rose wasn't so sure about that.

"You wanna go back in?", she asked Martha carefully, already anticipating the answer.

"No way.", Martha told her firmly, not taking her eyes of the moon for a second, "We could day any minute, but... it's beautiful! I mean, how many people wanna go to the moon?! And here we are."

"Standing in the earth light."

"What do you think happened?", Martha suddenly asked, looking between Rose and the Doctor, who gazed at each other for a split second, before Rose nodded and the Doctor asked: " What do you think?"

"Extra-terrestrial, it's gotta be. I don't know. A few years ago it would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship crashing into Big Ben, Christmas… those Cybermen thingies… I had a Cousin, Adeola, she worked at Canary Wharf. Never came home.", Martha's voice drifted off, her eyes fixed onto the distant earth.

The Doctor looked at her, as if that name meant something to him, but Rose just felt sorry for the young woman in front of her, who probably didn't even know what had really been going on that day and what had happened to her cousin.

"We were there… in the battle.", the Doctor told Martha quietly and squeezed Rose's hand reassuringly, but she just smiled up at him. It was okay, she thought, her mother was where she really wanted to be: with Pete. Of course it was hard to never see her again, but it had gotten easier once they had cleared out the flat and moved everything into a large room inside the TARDIS. She went there sometimes, when she couldn't sleep, but didn't want to worry the Doctor.

"I promise you, Mr and Mrs Tyler, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, we can travel back. There's got to be a way.", Martha tried to reassure her two newfound companions. Probably as much as herself.

"It's not Mr Tyler, that's not my real name", the Doctor answered and Rose prepared for the usual dance around his name.

"Who are you, then?", Martha asked, looking between the Doctor and Rose.

"I'm the Doctor.", he stated simply and Rose rolled her eyes. Here we go, she thought.

"Me too, if I can pass my exams. What is it then, Doctor Tyler?"

"Just the Doctor."

"What, people call you the Doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what do the call you then?", she switched her full intention to Rose, "The Teacher? The Professor? Or something completely different, like… the Wolf?"

Rose starred at Martha and couldn't help but notice how the Doctor flinched violently and looked downright panicked for a moment.

Rose was saved from answering by three massive spaceships passing over their heads, landing nearby and long lines of orderly marching creatures exciting. They walked towards the hospital, passing through some sort of force field on their way in.

Martha looked at the new arrivals open-mouthed: "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon.", the Doctor confirmed, his eyes dark with worry, he grabbed Rose's hand to run back inside, when a thought occurred to her and she held him back: "Doctor, they passed through some sort of force field, right?"

""Yes.", was his only reply, making it obvious that his brain had long since arrived and the conclusion Rose was only just getting to.

"But… but if it's like a bubble keeping the air in…", Martha started and then looked at them in horror.

"We're going to suffocate."

The trio arrived on a gallery above the reception in time to see the Judoon starting to catalogue the panicked people below them.

"Oh look, Rose. That's where I got your magazine.", the Doctor pointed out, a boyish smile on his face. Just when Rose opened her mouth to fondly remind him of the far more important problem at hand, Martha took over: "Never mind that. What are Judoon?"

"They're like police. Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs."

"And why did they bring us to the moon? "

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, so they isolated us. That rain, lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop.", he explained, still starring at the scene below without blinking.

"What are you on about, galactic law? Where do you get that stuff from?", Martha asked, he disbelieving smile on her face, looking at Rose for confirmation, who just gave her a pitying, comforting look. Or at least she hoped, that was what it looked like. Martha seemed to decide to humour the Doctor's apparent madness and continued: "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

Rose snored and the Doctor smiled at her warmly, before saying: "No, but I like the way you think." Rose immediately stopped grinning, jealousy was raising its ugly head again. When did she become such an insecure person? He didn't even hear the Doctor continuing his explanation, Martha's disbelieving " Stop looking at me like that!", brought her back to the present.

"Well, come on then.", the Doctor laughed and ran of, both women closely following behind until they reached office space containing several computer. Martha went to stand next to the door, while Rose and the Doctor went to work. The Doctor using his omnipresent sonic screwdriver, whereas Rose took the traditional road, simply turning one on.

"They've reached third floor.", Martha warned them, looking over Rose's shoulder, who tried to figure out why nothing seemed to work, "What's that thing he's using?", she asked Rose and nodded towards the Doctor. Rose didn't even look up before she mumbled "Sonic screwdriver." Oh how she wished Mickey were here, he always knew what to do with those blasted things.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly.", Martha snapped at her. Rose gave up on getting that computer to work and looked at Martha, "No really, I know it sounds stupid. But it's a screwdriver. And it's sonic. Apparently he was bored and had a lot of cupboards to put on."

"What do you have then, a laser spanner?"

"No, I don't.", Rose answered briefly. She saw Martha flinch and immediately felt bad about it. It wasn't Martha's fault, that Rose felt so terribly possessive lately. Or that she felt so threatened by Martha.

6silence between the two women, ruffling his hair in frustration and making him look, as if he got struck by lightning, "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. Because Rose and I, we were just traveling past, really. Went to get some chips, because she loves those, Rose does. And we weren't looking for trouble, honestly, just some quiet time, but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, that lightning that's a plasma coil. Been building up for days now, so we checked in. Rose had to become the patient, of course. Two hearts me, would have been suspicious. And I could investigate, while Rose…"

"Lay bored in a bed.", Rose finally interrupted his rambling, giving Martha time to process it all. She looked positively dumbstruck, Rose noted a little bit of glee.

"But what are they looking for anyway?", Rose continued, when the Doctor only looked at her guiltily.

"Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you, apparently.", Martha stated and examined him carefully. Oh, Rose thought sadly, I missed the "I'm an alien"-discussion.

"Like me. But not me.", the Doctor hurried to assure her.

"Haven't they got a photo?", Martha frowned.

"Well, might be a shape-changer.", the Doctor dismissed her idea-

"What'll happen when they find whoever they're looking for?", Rose asked wearily, desperately hoping that her gut feeling was wrong.

"Depends. They might find the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive. They'd sentence it to execution."

Great, thought Rose, why can't anything ever be easy?

"All of us?", came Martha's shocked reply.

"Oh yes, if we can't find this thing first. Oh! You see, they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick!", the Doctor shouted angrily, when Rose interrupted him with a sweet smile, saying :" If you go up to one of them and tell him he's Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so is his dad, I'll show you if my Mum's slap is heritable. "

Martha made a strange strangled sound as the Doctor started at Rose in disbelieve, not dignifying her interruption with an answer, instead simply continuing: "They wiped the records." His face never wavering from Rose's.

"What exactly are we looking for?", asked Martha carefully, obviously unsure of what was going on between the other two.

"I don't know.", the Doctor answered, actually managing to look at Martha now, "Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back-up."

"Just keep working. I'll go ask Mr Stoker. He might now.", and with that Martha practically bolted, eager to get away from the tense atmosphere inside the office.

The Doctor quietly went back to work, leaving Rose to mend the door. He worked in silence for a moment, before he asked quietly: "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am.", Rose snapped back. Jealousy and insecurity still raging inside her.

"You seem to be somewhat… angry at me today. What did I do?"

"Nothing. Maybe that's the problem.", she mumbled.

"I'll make sure you're not interrupted.", she continued, standing at the door and refusing to look at the Doctor, who stared at her for a moment, before he sighed loudly and turned back to work.

Rose blinked a couple of times, looking outside. She knew, she wasn't fair to the Doctor. She had always been content with their relationship. Never pushed him into anything. She knew very well, why they remained friends, but she couldn't help it now. He was all she had left, her home was with him. And just being with him was enough, always would be. Still, she wasn't proud of it, but she felt threatened by Martha, who was beautiful… smart… educated… Rose sighed loudly. She really didn't like the person she was turning into right now.

"Yes! I've restored the back-up!", the Doctor shouted behind her, making her jump in surprise, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along, making Rose smile involuntarily. No matter how she had treated him, he still took her hand. Not letting go.

A moment later they bodily crashed into Martha, the Doctor proudly telling her: I've restored the back-up."

"I've found her!", Martha panicked, looking behind her.

"What?!", asked the Doctor, when a huge, leather-clad person crashed through the door behind her. Instinctively Rose took Martha's hand at the same time, as the Doctor gleefully shouted "Run!", pulling both women along.

Oh, how she loved this! Adrenaline rushed through her. The Doctor made a soft sound over the patter of their feet. It almost sounded like a laugh.

He dragged them both towards radiology, where he soniced the door open and both women got behind the radiation screen.

"What are you doing?!", screamed Rose, when the Doctor didn't stay with them.

"When I say now, press the button!", he instructed Martha.

"I don't know which one!", Martha replied frantically, while Rose tried to follow the Doctor.

"Then find out! No, Rose, you have to stay down."

"You look as if you are going to do something stupid-", she replied desperately, as the Doctor started to sonic the x-ray machine. Outside the room someone banged against the door, as the Doctor grinned manically at Rose and shouted:" Me? Never!"

The motorcycle-dude crashed through the door at the same time, as the Doctor yelled:" Now!" and both Rose and Martha hid behind console. Rose felt as if all air was being knocked out of her. Again. Something was pressing on her chest, she couldn't breathe, her hands started to shake violently. Oh God no, she thought, please not again!

Beside her, Rose didn't even notice, when Martha looked up to see the leather-clad figure fall face down. She turned the machine and Rose sprinted up to the Doctor, her eyes wondering worriedly, hungrily over his face.

"What did you do?", Martha asked in wonder. It took the Doctor a moment to answer, his brown eyes scanning Rose's face, taking in her still violently shaking hands intently.

"I increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead."

"But isn't that going to kill you?", Martha's voice rose slightly in the end, excitement and lack of oxygen making her breathe heavily.

"Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery.", he assured them and squeezed Rose' hand comfortingly, "I've absorbed it all. All I need to do now is expel it. If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go. Easy does it. Out. Out. Out. Ah, itches, itches, itches!"

Rose watched him with fond amusement, as he hopped around like a maniac, shaking his left leg violently, before he pulls his shoe off and throws it into a near-by bin.

"You're completely mad.", stated Martha at the same time, as Rose said: "Oh no, your shoes… I loved those shoes."

"Well, they did a lot of running. Time for new ones.", he answered threw the other shoe away as well, "There. Barefoot on the moon."

"Anyway. What is that thing? And where is it from, the planet Zovirax?"

"Nah," answered the Doctor, kneeling down beside the still form, "It's just a Slab. They're called Slab. Basic slave drones. See?", and he patted the Slab on his leg to prove his point, "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"Oh, I don't know, there was a time, when you were quite fond of leather yourself." , Rose interrupted, a cheeky grin on her face. She still felt shaken to the core, but the Doctor kept giving her odd looks and she didn't want him to know just how scared she was of what was happening to her.

Martha just blinked twice, before she apparently decided **not **to ask, and said: "But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant." But the Doctor wasn't paying attention anymore, he had gone to retrieve his screwdriver, which was still stuck inside the x-ray machine. "My sonic screwdriver!", he exclaimed and stared at his faithful tool in disbelieve.

"She was one of the patients, but…", continued Martha stubbornly. Rose had to supress a grin at the sight of two people, who were convinced the other should pay full attention to them.

"Oh no, my sonic screwdriver."

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I love my sonic screwdriver!"

"Doctor!", came Martha's disbelieving, frustrated reply, causing the Doctor to mumble a quick "Sorry" and throw the rest of his beloved tool behind him without a second glance.

Rose looked at it sadly and while Martha and the Doctor figured out the mystery of Miss Finnegan, she went to the corner of the room and picked it up again. The screwdriver might be broken and useless, but it had served the Doctor well. It deserved better than this, she decided, and pocketed it.

"Rose! What are you doing back there? We need to find her!", the Doctor called and held out his hand for her. They run through the corridors, until Rose saw a second Slab walking up to them. Roughly she pushed her two still oblivious companions behind a water dispenser.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs.", the Doctor whispered.

"Like you.", Martha stated and two heads flipped in her direction.

"What?", he asked innocently, a small smile on her face. "Well, you travel in pairs, don't you? Did you start traveling together before or after you became a couple?"

"We're not…", Rose started the explanation she had given countless times before, but gets interrupted by the Doctor: "Humans! We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal. You're asking personal questions?"

"Uhhh, sensitive.", Martha replied, winking at Rose, who couldn't help but smile at her, while they got back up, "I like that: Humans. I'm still not convinced you're an alien."

Right on cue, a Judoon shone his light directly into the Doctor's face, proclaiming: "Non-Human."

"Oh my God, you really are!"

"And again.", breathed the Doctor, this time grabbing both women. And off they were, running again. The Judoon fired his weapon at them, only missing Rose by an inch or so, as they ran up the stairs, running past people lying on the floor, desperately gasping for air. Rose saw the terrified student from before handing out oxygen to some patients.

Martha knelled down next to her colleague, worry written all over her features: "How much is there?"

"Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out."

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?", the Doctor asked Martha, still not letting go of Rose, who leaned heavily against him for support.

"I'm running on adrenaline. What about you, Rose?"

"Oh, Rose is used to this.", the Doctor replied off-handily, but Rose could see the carefully veiled worry in his eyes. "Welcome to our world.", she told Martha, "What about the Judoon?"

"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down. Where's Mister Stoker's office?"

"It's this way.", Martha told them and lead the way.

"Are you sure you're okay?", the Doctor whispered into Rose's ear so Martha wouldn't hear him.

She looked up at him in surprise: "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Before he could answer, they reached Mr Stoker's – empty- office. Not really empty, Rose realized a moment later. Mr Stoker was lying on the floor behind his desk, unnaturally white and obviously dead.

"She's gone. She was here.", Martha told them quietly.

"Drained him dry.", the Doctor answered sadly, letting go of Rose and going over to take a better look, "Every last drop. I was right: She's a plasmavore."

"Why do they always decide to hide on earth?", Rose asked, sighing loudly. Poor Mr Stoker, classic case of wrong time, wrong place.

"They don't. We're just here a lot.", he answered distractedly, "She's still not save. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on, you two."

"Wait a minute.", Martha told them and kneeled down to close Mr Stoker's eyes.

Outside the Doctor looked around frantically, messing his hair up even more than usual: "Think. Think. Think. If I were a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do? Ah! She's as clever as me. Almost."

"Being modest again, are we?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

Behind them people started screaming as the Judoon finally made it to their corridor.

"Find the non-human. Execute.", the leader grunted, as the other moved out.

"Right…", the Doctor looked at them both for a split second, before he turned to Rose: "Rose, Martha, stay here. I need time. You've got to hold them up."

"How do we do that?", Martha asked, when Rose exclaimed: "Absolutely not. You're not going anywhere without me!"

"I've got to, please, I need the time!", he told her and before she could protest again, he kissed her. Rose felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. Her brain seemed to lose every ability to function. And before she could fully comprehend what was happening, she could breathe again and the Doctor had run off.

"Wow."

Rose turned to run after the Doctor, when a Judoon grabbed her from behind, shining his light in her eyes and proclaiming: "Human. Wait. Non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorise full scan. What are you? What are you?"

Rose can't even get a response out, while Martha is shouting at the Judoon, telling them about Florence and trying to get them to listen. To no avail. Rose is pushed against a nearby wall, helpless. It only took a couple of minutes, precious time the Doctor definitely needed, but for Rose it felt like an eternity. What was he planning? How dangerous exactly was it? And had he really meant to kiss her or was it just a distraction? And… Oh God, what if he had been doing something stupid, like saying goodbye?!

A moment later the Judoon painted a big, black cross on her hand and gave her a creditstick, which she pocketed automatically. Maybe she'd buy something nice for her M… she stopped that thought right there and followed Martha and the Judoon, hopefully towards the Doctor and this solution for all of this.

The Judoon marched through a nearby door and effectively block both women from view, Rose trying desperately to get through, when she heard one say: "Confirmation: Deceased."

Rose's blood ran cold, without thought to safety or anything else, she showed her way through the Judoon, when her gaze fell on the Doctor's still, white form lying on the ground.

She can't even scream, no sound, no movement for what felt like forever, before she ran forward, falling on the floor next to him and desperately checking for a non-existent pulse.

"No!", she screamed once, running her fingers, her hands frantically over his face, "No! Doctor, please! Don't do this to me!"

Sobs tortured her shaking body, as he felt the now familiar feeling of drowning, suffocating rise up in her chest. He was gone. He'd left her. Left her all alone. No one left. Gone. Alone.

She couldn't breathe, her vision went fuzzy until she could only see the Doctor's pale closed eyes. She choked out a last "No, please!", before everything went black.

Warm. Soft. Comfortable.

Rose stretched slightly, her hands peeking out under her heavy, violet blanket.

It took her a small, blissful moment, before she remembered what had happened. With a yelp Rose opened her eyes and stared directly into the Doctor's.

"Oh my God! I… I thought you were dead!", she shrieked, throwing her arms around him and before he could even react, she kissed him.

She was so relieved, so thankful, so incredibly happy that nothing, nothing mattered. Nothing but the Doctor and his lips on hers.

Way too soon, be pulled away from her, holding her hands in a tight grip. She looked up at him, tears of happiness glittering in her eyes.

"Don't."

The immense feeling of joy making it hard for Rose to even breathe, vanished completely and without a single trace. "What?", she asked, hating how her voice sounded so desperate and broken.

The Doctor got up from his place next to Rose's bed. Not even looking at her.

"You kissed me.", she told him dumbly.

"That was a genetic transfer!", he told her angrily, his hands buried deep inside his pockets. Eyes looking everywhere but at her.

"A genetic transfer.", he echoed mutely.

"I needed time."

"So that's all it was then. You needed time."

"Yes.", he replied, his eyes desperately wandering to the door, but Rose wouldn't, couldn't stop now. They had danced around this for months, years even, and she was so tired. She just wanted something, anything simple right then.

"Then why kiss me. Not Martha?"

His gaze shot up then, looking at her with furrowed brows: "Do you want me to kiss Martha?", he asked her unbelievingly.

"No!", she shouted back, frustration and anger driving hot tears into her eyes, "I want you to admit that it was a kiss, that it was YOU and not just a "genetic transfer"!"

"And then what, mh?!", suddenly the Doctor was shouting as well, looking like a cornered animal, his hands clenched tightly.

"I…", Rose stuttered at a loss for words. What did she really want and… what if he didn't feel the same? He wouldn't just leave her, right? Replace her. Throw her away. Involuntarily she looked at his feet. New shoes. Of Course. Briefly she wondered, if he had built a new screwdriver yet.

"We… we talked about it. We can't. We just can't!", the Doctor told her, misinterpreting her silence.

"Why?", she asked, suddenly feeling incredibly tired again, "Because I'm going to wither and die? And you'll have to live on?"

"Yes.", came the silent, almost inaudibly answer and Rose was shocked to see tears in the Doctor's eyes as well.

"I am never going to die of old age, Doctor.", she told him, "Look at us. Look at our lives! You almost died today. I could die tomorrow. Being together will not change that."

"It's not the same! I can't. I can't. I won't.", and with that he turned around and fled.

"Yeah", Rose told the empty room, "Run away. It's what you do best."

She silently cried herself to sleep after that, desperately wishing for her mother or a friend to talk to, but she didn't have anybody. Except the Doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Ok people, I know where this story is going, but I'd really like to know what you hope to read… what do you hate more than anything? And what makes you giggle stupidly in front of your screen?

I'm sure I can at least try to make you all happy


	4. Two steps back

Hey guy, I decided to split this chapter, because I didn't want you to have to wait so long... again . And I don't know when I'll have the time to continue, so here we go. Please tell me, if you'd rather I keep the episodes together or not. I aim to please :)

Special thanks to Rhizoneill, Jadzia Lillian Potter, Dreamcather49, lemon-moon, kelda1771 and DragonRose4 for their great reviews and hops for this story, I'll do my best.

**Chapter 4**

**Two steps back**

Rose woke a couple of hours later, not feeling refreshed in the slightest. But the TARDIS was obviously moving, making it impossible to sleep.

"Great.", grumbled Rose, when the TARDIS landed somewhere and she got out of bed. She felt like an idiot. What had she been thinking, pushing the Doctor like that?

Maybe it would be awkward now. Maybe, she thought terrified, maybe he wouldn't want her on board anymore.

She had just finished dressing, when the TARDIS shook again, nearly throwing Rose of her feet. What was the Doctor doing?!

Carefully she made her way outside. Should she go and ask what was going on?

Rose knew she was being a coward, but she didn't think she could face him like that. Not without at least some breakfast. And tea. Tea would be good right about now, she thought.

She had just managed to brew some tea, when the TARDIS moved for the third time. Actually worried by the Doctor's weird behaviour now, she grabbed the two cups of tea and went to the console room. Just before she entered, the TARDIS moved for a fourth time, making Rose spill her precious tea.

"Seriously, Doctor! What are you doing? I just tried to bring you…", Rose stopped when she saw that the Doctor was not alone. Martha was standing right next to him, excitement written all over her face. Rose dropped the now empty cups in shock, they shattered into dozens of tiny parts, but Rose didn't even notice. Martha. He had brought Martha along. He was going to throw her out. The Doctor had already replaced her. With beautiful, smart Martha.

"Hey, Rose.", Martha smiled at her warmly, "The Doctor won't tell me what's outside. He says I just have to take a look."

Rose stared at her, unmoving. Martha's smile wavered, when Rose didn't answer and she turned her gaze to the Doctor, who wasn't looking at either of them.

"Right then, Martha Jones. Outside these doors. Brand new world.", the Doctor told her turning around to face the TARDIS-door. Martha raised an eyebrow and looked back at Rose again, who as starring at the Doctor with an odd mix of panic, fear and anger.

"Yeah, Martha, brave new world.", Rose told her quietly, her voice almost breaking.

Martha looked at Rose one last time, before almost running out of the door. The Doctor followed closely, still not looking at Rose, who starred after them for a moment, before she decided to take a look as well.

"What have butterflies ever done to you?", Rose heard the Doctor's startled voice.

"What if… I don't know. What if I kill my grandfather?", came Martha's desperate answer.

Ah, thought Rose, smiling softly, naturally Martha was a thinker. Someone who needed everything explained.

"Are you planning to?", the Doctor asked her, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Rose took pity on Martha and decided to take matters into her own hand. She would not be a jealous, petty person. She would not run around moping. And she would not be afraid. The Doctor wouldn't just leave her. She was sure of it.

Martha opened her mouth to answer the Doctor's rather stupid question, but stopped when Rose ran up and linked arms with her. "Don't bother.", she told Martha cheekily, "You can't argue with him, if he's like that."

"Is he often difficult on purpose?", Martha asked and gave Rose a thankful smile.

"Not as much as he used to be.", Rose replied, "But be careful, he still likes to insult species when he's stressed."

"Anyhow. Back to the point.", the Doctor interrupted them, obviously not happy with the way his two companions where talking about him.

"Right.", Martha said, looking around in wonder, "So this is London then?"

"I think so, yes. Right about 1599."

"Oh, but hold on. Am I all right? I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?", Martha asked and to Rose's big surprise she was looking at her and not the Doctor.

"No, you won't.", Rose assured her and patted her arm lightly and pulled her along.

"Why would they do that?", the Doctor asked, trailing behind them. Rose looked over to see Martha rolling her eyes at the Doctor's question.

Interesting, Rose thought, maybe having Martha on board would be far better, than she had feared. The Doctor grumbled something incomprehensible behind them and Rose was sure, that he had not expected the two women to team up on him like that.

When they walked past a preacher, telling them "And the world will be consumed by flame!", Rose giggled openly.

"What?", Martha asked, smiling as well.

"Global warming.", Rose told her and they both started to laugh.

Apparently the Doctor decided to stop sulking a moment later, for he decided to catch up with them and said: "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, very much.", Martha told him, grinning broadly, "This is amazing."

"If it's entertainment you want, I've got just the thing for you.", and with that, the Doctor ran ahead, more or less forcing the two linked women to follow, albeit more slowly .

"Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe, it's a tetradecagon. Fourteen sides. Containing the man himself.", the Doctor told them, proudly puffing his chest out.

"Whoa, you don't mean. Is Shakespeare in there? ", Martha asked, starring at the building in wonder and badly veiled excitement.

"Oh yes. What do you think? Want to take a look?"

"Of course!", Martha pulled at Rose, making the other woman smile kindly. This, Rose thought, this is why I love my life.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you're met Shakespeare.", the Doctor told her happily, striving along next to them.

"Then I could get sectioned."

They could hardly believe their luck, when they found out that the next performance would start shortly. And after the Doctor had presented some ominous golden coins from somewhere inside his pockets, the trio found three seats and waited for the play to start.

Martha and the Doctor, Rose noted, were totally enthralled by the play and although Rose really enjoyed it, she was never much of a Shakespeare fan, probably she got the "A Rose by any other name" line one too many times.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?", the play had just finished and everyone was applauding frantically.

"Yes, London never changes.", the Doctor answered Martha's question, making Rose smile a little. Martha was sitting between them, either not noticing that her two travel companions were rather awkward with each other or choosing not to comment on it. Her eyes were blazing with pure joy and she looked around constantly, trying to drink everything in at once.

"Where's Shakespeare? I want to see Shakespeare. Author! Author!", she screamed, punching her fist into the air," Do people shout that? Do they shout Author?"

Other people around them started to shout as well and in a matter of seconds, almost everyone was demanding Shakespeare's presents on the stage.

"Well, they do now. Apparently.", the Doctor answered, looking slightly taken aback.

A moment later a man entered the stage. Looking, Rose thought drily, rather pleased with himself.

"He's a bit different from his portraits.", Martha said astonished.

"Not for the worse, though.", Rose laughed and elbowed Martha, who grinned as well. The Doctor on the other hand looked rather unimpressed.

"Genius. He's a genius. The genius. The most human human there's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak. Always he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words.", the Doctor told them, leaning forward in his seat.

"Ah, shut your big fat mouths!", Shakespeare hollered at the assembled crowd, effectively wiping the happy grin of the Doctor's face, "Ah, well.", he said, looking rather sad, whereas Rose couldn't help but laugh. "You said he was the most human human ever.", she told him in an attempt to comfort him, "And you've got to admit, that was pretty human."

"You should just never meet your heroes.", Martha supported Rose, "They can never life up to it."

"You've got excellent taste, I'll give you that.", Shakespeare continued boasting, then he spotted someone in the audience and exclaimed: "Oh, that's a wig."

" I know what you're all saying. Loves Labour's Lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius."

"Oh look, he is just as modest as you are.", Rose told the Doctor with a dead serious expression, making him scowl at her and Martha burst out laughing again.

"Travelling with you guys really is fun.", she told them and grinned happily.

Rose was having so much fun with the Doctor's affronted face, that she almost missed Shakespeare's next words: "When? Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it Love's Labour's Won."

The theatre explodes in shouts and clapping, but Rose only noticed the slightly panicked looks on the actors' faces.

"Looks like they didn't get the memo."

The Doctor looked at her with the odd expression on his face, he has come to know and fear over the time spend with him. Something wasn't right.

"What is it?", she asked, when they followed the others outside.

"Well, I'm no expert, but I've never heart of ´Love's Labour's Won`", Martha answered instead.

"Exactly. The lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. And no one knows why."

„Have you got a mini-disc or something? We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint.", Rose stopped dead in her tracks, when Martha proposed this. She turned around and looked at her new friend with raised eyebrows. The Doctor simply stated: "No."

"That would be bad.", Martha answered slowly, insecurely looking at Rose.

"A brain-door-moment, I like to call it.", Rose told her.

"A what?", Martha asked in astonishment.

"I'll tell you later. Maybe in the kitchen with a nice cuppa."

"Oooookay.", Martha continued slowly, "But how come it vanished in the first place?", she turned to the Doctor, who had been uncharacteristingly up till then.

" Well, I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the Tardis, but I suppose we could stay a bit longer.", he told Martha, who smiled at him happily.

Just a quick little trip, thought Rose, he did not invite her along? She was seriously confused now, but sadly not brave enough to ask what was going on.

They made their way to the room Shakespeare is living in, sitting with two other man and obviously debating the impossibility of `Love's Labour's Won` being premiered the following day. The Doctor had his hands buried deep inside his pockets and Rose, who was so used to him constantly being by her side, had linked arms with Martha again, who had looked at her oddly for a moment and then followed her gaze to the Doctor.

So Martha did understand, Rose thought with a hint of relief. Maybe Martha was what she had been hoping for last night. Someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't judge. Someone uncomplicated.

In front of them the Doctor sauntered into Shakespeare's room the same way he always did: As if he owned the place.

"Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mister Shakespeare, isn't it?"

Shakespeare on the other hand didn't seem impress. Not in the slightest: "Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove…", he stopped midsentence when he spotted the women following the Doctor inside. His gaze appraisingly scanning them both in a way, that made Rose think she should be offended.

"Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me.", he told them both, dismissing his two companions without a second glance.

Rose, Martha and the Doctor sat down in front of the table, while the others left the room.

"My sweet ladies.", Shakespeare told them, flirty smile on his face, "Such unusual clothes… So fitted." Rose blushed lightly, consciously pulling at the tight, pink shirt underneath her light jacket.

"Er, verily, forsooth, egads.", Martha stutters, making Rose blush an even deeper red. Seriously, she thought, maybe we should have explained the translation circuit to Martha. The Doctor looked slightly embarrassed as well, telling Martha: "No, no, don't do that. Don't.", and standing up again to show Shakespeare his psychic paper, "Right. I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and these are my companions Dame Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate and Miss Martha Jones."

"How come you get a title?", Martha whispered into Rose's ear, so nobody else would hear.

"Got it from Queen Victoria.", Rose answered just as quietly. Martha's look was pretty priceless, she thought.

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank.", Shakespeare told them matter of factly.

"Oh, that's very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius.", the Doctor exclaimed happily, obviously he had forgiven Shakespeare for his not so genius words before.

Martha stood up to look at the psychic paper as well: "No, it says so. Doctor. Rose Tyler. Martha Jones. It says it right here."

"And I say it's blank.", insisted Shakespeare stubbornly.

"Psychic paper. Er, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch.", the Doctor told them, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully.

"Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?"

"What?", Martha asked and stared at Shakespeare in shock. Rose had to hide her giggle behind a, very obvious, cough.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric?", continued Shakespeare, not in the least bit ashamed, while Martha gaped at him and Rose had a very hard time trying not to laugh out loud.

"It's political correctness gone mad. Er, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia.", the Doctor explained, barely hiding a grin, either.

Before Shakespeare can answer to that pretty much obvious lie, a tall man in expensive looking clothes entered, looking angry and very, very important.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mister Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed.", he thundered, completely ignoring Shakespeare's guests.

Shakespeare leaned back in his seat. "Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round. ", he told the angry man graciously and Rose almost has to admire such arrogance.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!", the man hollered at Shakespeare.

"I can't.", Shakespeare stated simply, reminding Rose a lot of the Doctor, maybe that was why she found herself grinning back widely, when he winked at her.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled! I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labour's Won will never be played. ", came the shout and as quickly as he had entered, he had left as well.

"Well, that is one way of explaining it.", Rose remarked drily, looking at Shakespeare, who despite all his confidence before, looked a little lost.

"Well then, mystery solved. That's Love's Labour's Won over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know, more mysterious.", Martha said, clearly disappointed that it wasn't more complicated than that and Rose found herself smiling again. They hadn't done any running yet, she was sure it wasn't over. Just when she opened her mouth to tell Martha just that, somebody screamed down on the street, getting all four of them up and running outside. Rose haltered in her steps, when she saw the angry dude from before, staggering desperately and coughing up what appeared to be water.

"What's wrong with him?", she screamed and ran over to hold him up.

"Leave it to me, I'm a doctor.", the Doctor told no one in particular and pushed a crying woman aside, closely followed by Martha, how said: "So am I, near enough."

"Got to get the heart going!", Martha shouted, when the man collapsed to the ground, "Come on, you gotta stay with me. Can you hear me? You're going to be alright."

She bend down to perform CPR, when he coughed up more water and the Doctor gently pulled her away from the now dead man.

"What the hell is that, Doctor?", asked Rose, still helplessly cradling his head.

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water. He drowned and then, I don't know, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow.", the Doctor answered and for the first time that day, he actually looked at Rose. Took her hand and pulled her out from under the unfortunate man and helped her stand up, before he turned to the woman he had pushed aside before and told her: " Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural, if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes, sir.", the woman answered and left in a hurry. Rose's gaze following her all the way, trying to remember her name.

"And why are you telling them that?", Martha asked, sounding almost accusing.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages, if I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

"Okay.", Martha challenged him, "What was it then?"

"Witchcraft."

Rose wished, she were more surprised, but in all honesty: she wasn't. She'd met ghosts before, werewolves… the Devil. She didn't think anything like that could really shock her again.

They followed Shakespeare back to his room, where they sat in silence for a while, before the landlady entered again and told them: "I got you a room, Sir Doctor. But it's our only one. I fear you'll have to share."

Rose nodded and smiled at her in recognition, while the other seemed to totally forget there manners and just went on in their conversation, as if nothing had happened.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman can be a doctor?", Shakespeare kept looking at Martha again, but this time there was not a note of flirting in his demeanour.

"Where a woman can do what she likes.", Martha corrected him sharply and Rose sighed softly. Had she been this righteous and naïve, when she had first travelled with the Doctor? Sooner or later Martha would have to realize, that she couldn't always project here notions of right or wrong on everybody.

Shakespeare seemed to think about that answer for a moment before he turned his attention to the Doctor again: "And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

The Doctor bristled slightly at this question. Rose knew how much he hated it, if people actually saw through his carefully crafted disguise of smiling and babbling.

"I do a lot of reading.", he bit back.

"A trite reply. Yes, that's what I'd do. And you?", his gaze wondered to Martha again, still not showing the slightest interest in Rose. She wasn't sure, if she should be glade… or hurt.

"You look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much a puzzle to you as he is to me."

Rose felt Martha cringe next to her, unsure what to answer. She just stood up and said: "I think we should say goodnight."

"And then, of course, there is Lady Rose.", Shakespeare continued and the Doctor visibly stiffened, "You're not surprised at all, are you? You two are so busy not looking at each other, that you hardly see the obvious."

The Doctor stood abruptly "Martha is right. We should retire.", he told Shakespeare brusquely. But Rose didn't get up. She remained seated and looked at Shakespeare searchingly. There was something in his eyes, she thought in surprise, as if he was asking her to stay. And in all fairness, she wasn't tired at all, she just had a full-night's sleep on board the TARDIS.

"I'll keep Master Shakespeare company for a little while longer, if he doesn't mind. I'm not tired yet.", she said slowly, looking up to see the Doctor's hurt expression.

"I'm sure he'll want to finish his play.", the Doctor told her through clenched teeth, looking at Shakespeare as if he was daring him to say differently.

"No worries, Sir Doctor. I will escort your Lady back to your chamber shortly.", Shakespeare answered, his gaze not wavering from the Doctor's for a second. Rose was sure, she could smell the testosterone in the air. Maybe she really should go with the Doctor, she thought. But right then, the Doctor turned around without so much as a glance in her direction and slammed the door behind him.

"I fear we have angered your husband.", Shakespeare told her lightly.

"He's not my husband." ,Rose told him simply.

"No, he's not. But he behaves like one. And so do you."

"I don't know what you're talking about.", Rose answered tersely, but at the same time, she was fairly certain that Shakespeare really did know. He was far too perceptive for his own good.

"Maybe not.", came the smiling reply, "But you look at him, as if you know completely who he is. And where your companion seems afraid, you appear unimpressed. Tell me, Lady Rose, is there something, anything, the Doctor could do to scare you away?"

This time Rose had to smile as well. They are a lot alike, Shakespeare and the Doctor, she thought, even if the Doctor would not be happy about that comparison right about now.

"No.", she told him softly, "And believe me, he's tried."

Oh God, she thought then, am I just telling WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE about my relationship with the Doctor? Or the lack of one?

"Well, sometimes, fair Lady, what a man needs to see a woman, is another man seeing her as well.", Shakespeare answered, winked at her and said: "I better complete my play now. And I'm sure the Doctor might come storming in at any second."

"Nighty night, Shakespeare.", Rose told him, when she got up. And without consciously thinking about it, she leaned over the desk and gave him a thankful kiss on his cheek, before she left to find her two companions.

Rose found there room just across the landing, knocked once and entered when she heard Martha's soft "Come in."

Martha was lying on the right side of a small bed, half hidden under a blanket, the Doctor was nowhere to be seen.

"I left the left side for you.", Martha yawned at her and patting the mattress.

"No need, all yours.", Rose told her, looking through the room warily.

"He said we wanted to go for a walk.", Martha told her, her eyes half closed now, "More like going to sulk, if you ask me."

Rose didn't know how to answer that, so she decided to just keep quite instead. He'd come back soon, she told herself. He probably just went to do some investigating. But that thought didn't sit well with her. He had a tendency to get into trouble if he was on his own and…

"Did you guys have a fight or something?", Martha interrupted her thoughts.

"No! Well… yes, maybe.", Rose finally admitted and set down next to Martha on the bed, who shuffled a little to make more room.

"You wanna tell me about it?", she asked and turned around to look at Rose.

Rose thought about it. She liked Martha, she really did, but she didn't know her all that well and… would she really be able to understand what was going on between them?

Would anyone?, she asked herself. Only yesterday she had wished to be able to talk to someone and here Martha was offering…

"He kissed me.", she blurted out, and then shut her mouth in shock. She hadn't meant to say it.

"I know. I saw.", Martha answered with a big and, Rose thought rather dirty, grin.

"And then I thought he had died. I woke up and he was there and… and I kissed him."

"That should make a bloke happy. Not have him sulk about in 1599 London.", Martha told her and set up again, obviously she had decided to give Rose her full attention.

"You'd think, but… He doesn't feel about me that way.", Rose admitted sadly, not daring to look at Martha, "He just kissed me to hold of the Judoon. Genetic transfer, he said."

"Bullshit!", Martha exclaimed loudly, making Rose jump a little.

"Be that as it may, now he won't even look at me.", Rose continued, "He says he can't be with me, because he'll have to watch me die."

"What?", Martha asked and looked up at her with fearful eyes, "you're not ill or anything, right?"

"No, I'm just human. And he's not."

Rose could clearly see when the realization hit Martha, that the Doctor didn't just have two hearts. That he really only looked human, but wasn't. Even if she had logically known it before.

"How old is he anyway?", Martha asked her carefully.

"Something over 900. You lose track in the TARDIS. I'm not even sure how old I am anymore."

"O wow… that's… wow."

"Yeah."

"Still only a bloke.", Martha giggled and Rose had to smile as well. "Yeah", she said, "Superior timelord physiology my ass."

Rose couldn't say how much time had passed, when she saw the door open and the Doctor enter. Martha was long since asleep and Rose just lay in the dark, letting her thoughts wander.

"Found anything?", she breathed carefully, not wanting to wake Martha.

"No.", was the Doctor's only reply. After that they were silent again.


	5. Any other man

Exams are done (for know) and my flat hasn't been cleened in ages. So I did the resposible, grown-up thing today: I wrote Fanfiction :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter and If not or you find some terrible mistakes, please let me knoe, sionce I don#t have a beta...

**Chapter 5**

**Any other man**

"Rose?", came the Doctor's soft voice next to her ear. She'd been lying still for who knew how long, desperately trying not to think about the fact, that she seemed to have screwed up her friendship with the Doctor, when this one word shook her out of her dark musings.

"Doctor?", she breathed quietly, not wanting to disturb Martha, who was sleeping soundly.

"I…", he began carefully and stopped, seemingly unsure of what to say. Rose heart beat faster. Maybe he's ready to talk now, she thought, maybe he isn't angry anymore.

"I…", he started again, when a loud, terrified scream ripped through the night. In a matter of moments both Rose and the Doctor were on their feet, running towards the door. Martha's confused, sleepy voice shouting after them.

Entering Shakespeare's room, the Doctor immediately ran over to Dolly, the landlady, who had collapsed on the floor, whereas Rose ran over to the window, starring in shock after a woman on a broom. In front of a full-moon. Giggling.

"Bloody brilliant.", Rose thought and couldn't help the excitement. Shakespeare and witches. It's like Dickens and ghosts all over again. And look how that turned out.

"What happened?!", a slightly breathless, rumbled looking Martha asked, leaning in the doorframe. Oh right, Rose had almost forgotten they had left her in their room.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright.", the Doctor told them gloomily.

"Apparently it was a witch.", Rose tried to be helpful, but the Doctor, Martha and the very shocked looking Shakespeare starred at her in disbelieve.

"No really, with a broom and all.", she told them, walking over to Shakespeare, who had be so kind to her before and leading him back to his chair.

The four of them sat together in silence, while a constable came to take the body away. And for a while longer. Martha curled up in her seat and started snoring softly again. It had been a long, long and exiting day for her, Rose knew. The Doctor was sitting right next to her, brow furrowed in concentration and obviously thinking hard, whereas she sat next to Shakespeare, smiling reassuringly at him from time to time. The sun had already risen, when he suddenly said: "Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place, when we all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light.", the Doctor answered, a sad look on his face. Martha stirred lightly. Opening one eye and realizing she'd fallen asleep, she sat up straight and looked around ashamed.

"Sorry.", she mumbled.

"Don't worry.", Rose told her, "Tough day. You'll need your strength anyway. There's probably going to be some running."

"It's interesting though," the Doctor told them, as if he'd just woken up as well, "Lynley drowned on dry land. Dolly died of fright. And they're both connected to you."

"Are you accusing me?!", Shakespeare asked in a hurt voice.

"Of course he's not.", Rose reassured him right away, when the Doctor just kept looking at him oddly, "He's just trying to figure out what's going on."

"And Rose said she saw a witch. And you've written about witches.", Martha continued, seemingly eager to pile up evidence.

"Have I? When?", Shakespeare asked, obviously confused.

"Not quite yet.", the Doctor tried to mutter at Martha, who looked pretty ashamed. But if Rose could hear him, she was sure so could Shakespeare. Still, he completely ignored that rather conspicuous remark and said: "Peter Street spoke of witches."

"Who's Peter Street?", Martha asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe.", Shakespeare told her gloomily.

The Doctor seemed to have an epiphany though, shouting: "The architect. Hold on. The architect! The Globe. Come on!" He jumped up excitedly and turned towards the door, Martha following much slower.

"Lady Rose?", Shakespeare asked her, offering his arm, "Will you walk with me?"

"Gladly, Mr Shakespeare.", she smiled up at him and took his arm. Passing the waiting Doctor in the hallway, who looked already much less excited than he had only moments before.

They made their way to the Globe together, Shakespeare pointing out different landmarks and buildings as they walked, Rose and Martha besides him and the Doctor trailed closely behind.

"The Doctor looks a little… green in the face.", Martha whispered into Rose's ear.

"What?", she asked surprised, "No, he's just in a bad mood, because he hasn't figured everything out yet."

Martha looked at her open-mouthed for a second, before shaking her head and saying: "You're both just as bad, as the other."

When they finally reached the Globe, Shakespeare ushered them inside.

"It's funny," Rose said, looking around in wonder, "Why is it, that a building always looks smaller once the people are gone?"

"Because a lot of people in one place represent an infinite number of possibilities.", Shakespeare answered. And winked at her. Again, "Anything could happen." Seriously, either he had something major in his eye or he was really exploring that idea about making the Doctor jealous.

As if on cue, the Doctor cleared his throat loudly and said: "The columns there, right? 14 sides. Why 14 sides?"

"Peter Street said it carried the sound well, that's all."

"14... why does this remind me of something?", the Doctor continued, spinning around himself to get a good look at everything.

"There are 14 lines to a sonnet.", Martha supplied.

"So there are. Everything is following the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets... Oh, my head!", the Doctor exclaimed, hitting his forehead in frustration, "Tetradecagon. Words. Letters. Numbers. Lines!"

"Maybe it's not about the Globe at all.", Rose interjected carefully, "Maybe it's about Will. This is like... his theatre and it was his landlady in his room, you know?"

The Doctor turned around to look at her: "Weren't you the one, who said it wasn't about him?"

"No. I said, it wasn't his fault. Doesn't mean anybody else couldn't have made it about him.", she answered angrily. Was he actually trying to be difficult?

The Doctor just watched her a moment longer, before he turned around again and said: "But the theatre has to be part of it. 14!" He was pacing manically back and forth now, "The theatre, it's magic. Stand on that stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time... you can make man weep and cry of joy. Change them. Change their minds and the way they see the world. You should know that, Will. You do it all the time."

"So... like the TARDIS then? Small wooden box with all that power inside?"

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you.", the Doctor answered, making Martha smile proudly.

"If you think it's all about the Globe, shouldn't we ask the architect for help? He should know why he designed it with 14 sides.", Rose looked at the others for confirmation.

"Of course!", the Doctor shouted, making the others jump in surprise, hitting his forehead in frustration, "Peter Street! We need to talk to him."

"You won't get an answer.", Will told them sadly, "He lost his mind, a month after finishing this place. Started rumbling about witches, said he heard voices. His mind was addled."

"Witches again.", Rose furrowed her brow, squeezing Will's hand in comfort, who was obviously distraught by his friends fate.

"Where is he now?", the Doctor asked and Rose cringed at his unexpectedly harsh tone.

"Bedlam.", Will answered softly and his expression send a shiver down Rose's spine. She had no idea what Bedlam was, but suddenly she wasn't too keen on finding out.

"What's Bedlam?", Martha asked, when it became clear, that Will wasn't going to continue. "Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse."

"Then this is where we're going. Come on!", and to Rose's utmost surprise the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her along, as he ran out of the theatre. "Hold up!", Martha shouted, but Rose didn't have time to turn around and find out, if the others were following them.

They had to slow down eventually, giving Martha , and unsurprisingly Will, time to catch up. But still, Rose realized happily, the Doctor was not letting go of her hand. On the contrary: When Will fell in step next to them the Doctor's hand tightened almost painfully.

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, actors."

"This country is ruled by a woman.", Martha interjected from the Doctor's other side.

"Ah, she is royal.", Will dismissed her quickly, "That's God's business. Though you are royal beauties."

"Woa, Nelly. I know for a fact, you've got a wife in the country."

"But Martha", Will whined, "This is Town."

Rose couldn't help it, she laughed out loud.

"What is so amusing about me?", Will asked, looking slightly hurt.

"You sounded just like the Doctor there, all whiny."

"I don't...", both men started simultaneously, causing Rose and Martha to laugh whole heartedly. And every time one of the sulking men tried to defend themselves, they only laughed harder.

Only when the finally reached Bedlem, did the the atmosphere of despair and human suffering destroy the mood pretty abruptly.

The Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the disgruntled guard, who became a whole lot more helpful, when he realized that he was apparently talking to Sir Doctor of TARDIS. Rose followed with rising horror, as they walked through the building and passed cells with screaming, dirty people cramped inside. She held onto the Doctor's arm for reassurance and noticed his "less than amused" expression.

The guard, or whatever he was supposed to be, left them standing in a corridor, submissively telling the Doctor: "Does my Lord Doctor wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for you."

The Doctor opened his mouth, presumingly to protest, when Rose beat him to it: "Excuse me?!"

The guard, obviously not expecting this kind of outburst from "Lady Rose", shrank back and looked at her in a curious mix of wonder and astonishment.

"I thought...", he started, but was quickly interrupted: "No, I really don't think you did."

"Well...", he trailed of, still looking slightly fearful, "Wait here, Milady, while I make him decent for you.", completely ignoring the others and all but running off.

"Didn't know you could be this scary.", Martha told her, but her smile vanished pretty quickly, when her gaze fell on the "patients" surrounding them, "So this is what you call a hospital? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?!", Martha turned her attention towards Will and although Rose learned a long time ago not to judge, she couldn't help but be extremely disappointed in the man she had just minutes before compared to the Doctor. She was wrong, they were nothing, nothing alike!

"Oh, because it's all so different in Freedonia.", Will answered defensively.

"But you're clever. Do you honestly think this place is any good?", Martha insisted, struggling, Rose knew, to reconcile this side of him, with what she knew of him or at least was taught about him.

"I've been mad. Lost my mind. Fear. Fear of this place was, what set me right again.", Will told them, his arms crossed defiantly. And again Rose felt strongly reminded of the Man next to her... Or maybe a leather jacket was all that was missing.

"Mad in what way?", she asked carefully and let go of the Doctor to step closer to Will, who looked back at her with big, sad eyes.

"I lost my son.", he told her quietly, as if the words were too horrible to say out loud, "My only boy. The black death took him. I wasn't even there."

They stood in silence after that, nobody really sure what to say. Words, Rose thought helplessly, words would never be enough. She through her arms around Will's neck and kissed him softly on his cheek, hoping that he'd realize what she meant. He tensed for a second, than hugged her back and closed his eyes.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be.", he murmured softly, slowly let go of Rose and plastered a big, and Rose was certain of it, fake smile on his face, "Oh, that's quite good."

"You should write it down.", the Doctor told him in a monotone, subdued way and Rose flinched visibly. She had almost forgotten the others.

"Mh, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"

The guard chose that exact moment to return, so they followed him to a large cell, where a small figure sat hunched over, looking at a stone wall.

The guard, who had obviously decided that Rose was in charge, said: "They can be dangerous, Milady. Don't know their own strength."

"I think it helps. If you don't whip them. Now get out!", the Doctor hissed at him, sending the guard almost running outside.

"Peter? Peter Street?", the Doctor asked carefully, crouching down next to the unresponsive man.

"He's the same as ever. You'll get nothing out of him."

"Peter?", the Doctor tried again, placing a hand on Peter Street's shoulder and raising his hand to look into his eyes. When he still didn't get the slightest sign of recognition, he put his fingers on Street's temples and told him: "Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go to the past. One year ago. Let your mind go back. Back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened this past year since, happened to somebody else. It's just a story. A Winter's Tale. Let go. That's it. Just let go." And he lowered the man carefully down on his cot, before continuing: "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

"What is he doing?", Martha asked in wonder, but Rose didn't bother answering. Martha would just have to see how amazing the Doctor really was all by herself.

"Witches spoke to Peter.", Peter Street started, his voice sounding monotone and dispassionate. A shiver ran Rose's spine. Of course she knew what the Doctor could do, but that didn't mean she didn't marvel over the fact, that he could look and act so human one minute, and so incredibly alien the next.

"In the night, they whispered, whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! Fourteen Walls. Fourteen. Always. When the work was done, the snapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches?", the Doctor asked, his voice heavy with compassion and pity, "Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me, where were they?"

"All Hallows Street.", came the quite reply.

"Seriously?", Martha breathed into Rose's ear, who just shrugged in response. Could this get any more cliché?

At that exact moment a witch appeared right in front of Peter and the Doctor, making them all jump in surprise.

The witch raised her finger, pointed threateningly at Peter and snarled: "Too many words. Just one touch of the hard."

"No!", the Doctor shouted desperately, but before he could react, the witch put her finger on Peter's chest and he collapsed to the floor. Rose felt white, hot anger blaze through her. How dare that B... witch to this, after she had already destroyed that poor man's mind?"

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!", Will exclaimed next to her, reaching for her right hand and effectively holding her in place, when the witch cackled on: "Now, who would be next, hmmmm? Just one touch. Oh. Oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

Martha, panicked by witnessing a murder right in front of her, ran to the cell door, shouting to be left out.

"That's not going to work.", the Doctor told her, without even taking of the witch, who was studying him just as intently, "The whole building is shouting that."

"Who will die first, hm?"

Rose tensed and closed her eyes, even before she heart the Doctor's "Well, if you're looking for volunteers..."

"Don't you dare!", she shouted. What was it with him sacrificing himself lately? Had he always been this bad or was it something else?

"Doctor, can you stop her?", Will asked worriedly, still firmly keeping Rose in place, who contemplated hitting him, hard, to run over to the Doctor.

"No mortal has power over me.", the witch gloated, taunting the Doctor.

"Oh," he told her, anger evident in every move, "but there's power in words. If I can find the right one... If I can just know you..."

"None on earth has knowledge of us.", the witch answered, but Rose was sure to see doubt flicker in her eyes.

"Then it's a good thing I'm here.", the Doctor smirked, "Now think, think, think. Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... Ah! Fourteen! That's it! Fourteen! The fourteen stars of the Rexel planetary configuration!"

Panic flashed over the witches face and Rose couldn't help but smile proudly, when the Doctor pointed his finger at her and shouted triumphantly: " Creature, I name you Carrionite!"

The witch screamed and vanished in a bright flash of light.

"What did you do?", Martha asked, starring at him in shock.

"I named her.", came the smug reply, "The power of a name. That's old magic."

"But there is no such thing as magic.", Martha's voice was high with shock and Rose finally managed to get her hand out of Will's to walk over and offer Martha some comfort. The poor girl had just realized that the world was a whole lot bigger than she had believed all her life. Aliens? Okay. Time machine? Possible. But Magic?!

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Giving the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atoms. Carrionites use words instead."

"Use them for what?", Will asked, foreboding in his voice.

"The end of the world."

Rose was shocked to see how easy it was for them to leave after that. Nobody seemed to care much about the fact, that the man they'd been visiting had died, while they were there. Or at all. The guard just shrugged and led them outside, all the way staying as far away from Rose as possible. It would have been quite funny, Rose thought, if it weren't such a terrible occasion.

They hurried back to Will's room, this time not caring about their surroundings.

"Magic. Power in words.", Martha mumbled, as they took the stairs inside the inn.

"Well, that would explain a lot, wouldn't it?", Rose answered.

"What do you mean?", Martha asked, carefully looking around to make sure that the men couldn't hear her.

"For example, why the Doctor won't tell anyone his name. Names have power, right?", Rose told her, watching the Doctor's back enter Will's room.

"You don't know his name, either?", Martha starred at her in shock.

"Of course I don't. I don't think anybody alive does."

"What are you two doing?", came the Doctor's irritated voice. "We're trying to stop the end of the world here."

Rose just rolled her eyes and they joined the Doctor in sitting in front of Will's desk.

"So, Carrionites, Doctor... enlighten us.", Rose told him, grinning widely.

The Doctor glared at her for a moment, before he went into full lecture-mode: "The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure, if the were real or a legend."

"Well, I am going for real.", Will told them dryly.

"Me, too.", Rose grinned, throwing her hand up as if to vote.

"How can you still make jokes about this?", Martha asked her in a shocked whisper.

"Sadly, you get used to a lot of stuff after a while.", Rose answered slightly irritated. This was Martha's first adventure, but she had been doing this for over two years now. If she took everyone, who wanted to end the world, too seriously, she'd drive herself crazy. A thought suddenly hid her with full force: Oh God, she was turning into the Doctor! Well, if she was honest with herself, she had always been a lot calmer about this, than Martha was right now... or hadn't she?

"Anyway...", the Doctor interrupted them sternly, as Martha opened her mouth to reply.

"So...", Rose continued, "What do these ones want then?"

"A new empire on earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft.", came the factual answer.

"But how?", asked Martha.

"I'm looking at the man with the words.", the Doctor told them, turning his attention to Will, who backed away in surprise: "Me? But I've done nothing."

"Hold on though.", a look of realization appeared on Martha's face, "What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?"

"Finishing the play.", Will told her cautiously.

"Oh", the Doctor seemed to have caught on now, "What happens on the last page?"

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all funny and thought provoking as usual.", he waved their concern away, before a far away look entered his eyes, "Except those last view lines. Funny thing is, I don't remember writing them."

"That's it!", the Doctor shouted in excitement, "They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. Love's Labours Won, it's a weapon. The right combination of words, spoken in the right place, with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play is the thing! And yes, you can have that."

"A map.", Rose interrupted before Will, who looked slightly gob-smacked, could respond to that, "We need a map to find the witches."

Wordlessly Will left the room to return moments later, clutching a map under his arm and spreading it out over his desk, so they could all pour over it.

"There it is!", the Doctor exclaimed seconds later, pointing at one of the streets, "All Hallows Street. We'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play."

"I'll go with him.", Rose told them.

"What?!", the Doctor starred at her and Rose noticed the hurt sounding in this one word.

"We are four people. So, we go off in pairs. Martha is new to this. I'm not. It makes sense for me to go with Will."

The Doctor just stared at her for a moment longer, before he turned away abruptly. Martha and Will were looking between the two uncomfortably.

"We'll do it like that.", Will told them, when no one else made any attempts to talk: "Good luck, Doctor. Martha."

"Good luck, Shakespeare.", came the soft response, still not acknowledging Rose, who couldn't explain what the hell she had done this time. They had been doing so well before, she had thought they could just forget about their stupid argument... or rather, her argument.

"Come on.", Will told her, took her hand and together the ran outside and back towards the Globe.

The performance was already in full swing when they reached the Globe, forcing their way through the back entrance and onto the stage.

"Stop the play! I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but stop! This performance must end immediately."

"Oh, everyone's a critic.", the actor they'd interrupted exclaimed, causing the perplexed audience to laugh.

"I'm sorry, you'll get a refund. But this play must not be performed.", Will continued desperately. And then, without any warning, he went limp and fell to the ground. Rose screamed in surprise, when his hand pulled her down with him.

"Is he drunk or what?!", someone nearby shouted.

"Will? Will?! Are you all right?!", Rose asked, while frantically searching the crowed for the witches.

"Get him of the stage.", someone yelled, pulling Rose out of her panicked search.

"No, wait!", she screamed, getting on her feet, "Will is right! You've got to stop. Stop the play!"

Somebody grabbed her from behind, obviously planning to just drag her off, while two others carried Will. But Rose wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Let go!", she hissed angrily and threw her head back. She was rewarded with a loud crunch and a painful yelp, when she broke the guy's nose, who let go immediately.

"Stop this play right now!", but nobody way listening. The audience was hollering and laughing, obviously really enjoying the whole thing. Two men took hold of Rose's arms, careful not to let her anywhere near their faces and threw her out of the back door, while she was screaming and kicking all the way.

Great, she thought angrily, now she was standing outside the damn Globe, no was back inside and Will was probably somewhere inside, still unconscious.

"Well, that worked out perfectly.", she mumbled in frustration and decided to go after the Doctor and Martha to warn them, that they had failed.

She found them somewhere halfway to All Hallows Street, running towards her. Rose didn't even stop, she just turned around to run back to the Globe.

"What happened?!", the Doctor shouted, while sprinting up to her.

"Will was knocked out. And I was kicked out.", she answered, when the Globe came insight, a huge red cloud hanging overhead.

"Stage door!", the Doctor told them and Rose led the way, telling him: "Locked. I tried to get back in."

Rose and Martha recoiled in shock,when the Doctor simply kicked the door down and rushed inside. They could see the audience panicking, but before they could react, the doors to the stage slammed shut right in front of them.

"Will!", Rose shouted and ran over to the stiring figure to her left.

"Stop the play. I think that was it. Yeah, I said stop the play!", the Doctor told them angrily, making Rose snap back aggressively: " Yeah, and you wanted to stop the witches. That seems to have worked out juuuuust fine."

"Not now!", Martha interrupted them, rolling her eyes in annoyance, when they heard the Carrionites cackle in glee: "Now begins the millennium of blood."

The quartet stormed onto the stage almost at the same time, as weird winged creatures appeared overhead. Rose froze in shock for a moment, feeling strongly reminded of the reapers.

"Come on, Will, history needs you!", the Doctor shouted at them, looking into the sky with a mixture of horror and pure excitement, that was just so... Doctor. Rose couldn't help but smile.

"But what can I do?!", Will asked desperately.

"Reverse it!"

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it."

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"Oh come on!", Rose interrupted their screamed dialogue, "You're William Shakespeare. You can always find the right words. Words that will last forever. Believe me, we all had to suffer through some. Believe me, Will, and believe in yourself. Just DO it!"

Will looked at her in admiration for a tiny little moment before determination entered his eyes and he raised his arms, shouting: "Close up this din of hateful, dire decay, decomposition of your witches' plot. You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My ravishing Rose tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points..."

" !", helped the Doctor, which Will repeated and then added: "Banished lik a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..."

"Expelliarmus!", shouted Martha insecurely.

"Expelliarmus!", agreed the others, with the Doctor adding one enthusiastic: "Good old JK!" for good measure.

The Carrionites screamed in terror, got sucked into a wild wind-hose and vanished in a swirl of red, black and white. Leaving a clear, normal sky behind, as if nothing had ever happened.

Silence lay heavy on the theatre, when suddenly, cautiously someone started to clap, others soon following.

"They think it was all special effects?", Martha asked in amazement.

"Oh, the things humans are prepared to believe to keep their world intact.", Rose answered, smiling fondly as she remembered what she used to be like.

"Not all of them.", the Doctor said, looking at her with brown eyes burning intensely.

"I said students.", she told him breathlessly, but he only laughed and ran of to fetch the crystal, that apparently served as a prison now. They all returned to the Inn after that, the Doctor laying out a few blankets on the floor for himself, while Rose and Martha shared the bed. They all fell asleep as soon, as they hid their pillows, even the ever complaining "I don't need to sleep" Doctor.

They met at the Globe the next morning, wanting to say goodbye to Will and looking for copies of the (now) lost play. The Doctor wandered off again and Rose, Martha and Will sat next to each other on stage, telling jokes... with minimal success.

"I don't get it.", Rose said sadly, just as the Doctor returned. Wearing a ruff and... "Is that a skull, Doctor?"

"It is.", the Doctor replied enthusiastically, "Doesn't it look like a Sycorax?"

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that of you as well.", Will told him.

"I'll have ten percent. How's your head?"

"Still aching."

"Here. I got you this.", the Doctor took of his ruff and handed it over. "Keep it. It suits you."

"Seriously, Doctor?", Rose laughed loudly.

"What about the play?", Martha asked.

""Gone. Every single copy."

"My lost masterpiece.", mourned Will, looking around sadly.

"You could write it up again.", Martha proposed, not noticing the Doctor's panicked face.

"Yeah, better not, Will.", he interrupted, before he could get the wrong idea.

"Oh, but I have new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet."

"Hamnet?", Martha asked incrediously.

"That's him."

"Hamnet?"

"What's wrong with that?", Will asked defensively.

"Nothing.", Rose told him , squeezing his hand reassuringly, "It's a great name."

"Anyway.", came the Doctor's unusually hard interruption, "Time we were of. We've got a nice attic in the TARDIS, where this lot can scream for all eternity. And we have to take Martha back to Freedonia.

"You mean travel through time and space."

"What?", the Doctor looked positively gob-smacked at Will's words.

"You're from another world, like the Carrionites, Martha is from the future and you, Rose, either are from another world as well or you have travelled with the Doctor for a very long time. Which one is it?"

"She doesn't just travel with me. She lives with me.", the Doctor told him, possessively laying a hand on Rose's shoulder, causing pure joy to burn through her and Martha to stifle a laugh.

"We are alike in many ways, Doctor. Rose was right."

"Funny thing is: That happens a lot."

Oh, how Rose wished she could see the Doctor's face right then, especially when Will winked at her again. Before anyone could react though, a scream of "Will!", interrupted the little group.

"Will, you'll never believe it, she's here!"

"We're the talk of the town.", a second man chimed in, who, Rose noted with some satisfaction, had a bruised and swollen nose.

"Who?", Martha asked, getting up in anticipation.

"Her Majesty, she's here."

Just as Rose wanted to repeat Martha's question, a fanfare sounded and Queen Elizabeth entered with her guards.

"Queen Elizabeth the First!", exclaimed the Doctor happily.

The Queen did not seem to share is enthusiasm: 2Doctor?"

"What?"

"My sworn enemy!"

"What?!"

"Off with his head!"

Rose cut the Doctor of in his next shocked "What?!" by taking his hand, running for the nearby door and shouting: "Bye, Will!"

They ran through the streets, chased by the Queen's guards. "What have you done to upset her?!", Martha asked, breathing heavily.

"How should I know? We haven't met her yet. That's time travel for you. Can't wait to ind out."

Rose reached the TARDIS first, threw open the door and ran in head first, followed by the others.

"Uhhhhhh, something to look forward to.", the Doctor laughed, when he ran over to the console to pilot them into the vortex once more, all of them laughing in joy.

Hey everyone... Although the ending is far, far away, I'd like your input, because I do have an ending in mind, which is very realistic, but heartbreaking. I's really like to know which one you'd prefer, so:  
Realistic and hearbreaking

Less realistic and less heartbreaking

totally unrealistic, but who the hell cares: Happy End!

Please let me know :)


	6. Tiny, precious moments

Thank you all so much for reviewing and your opinion on the whole what-kind-of ending matter. And I promise you now, that no matter what happens in the future, there will be a happy ending. Sort of. You know...

I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope you like the way it turned out. Please giv me your honest opinion, the keep me motivated, although I should be writing my term papers right now.

**Chapter 6**

**Tiny, precious moments**

"All right then. One trip we said. One trip to say thanks, right? So, back to London.", the Doctor chirped happily, dancing around the console, with Martha holding on next to him and Rose leisurely occupying her favourite spot on the TARDIS: the pilot seat.

Rose's head popped up to see Martha's joyous grin slip of her face. One trip, mh? She had actually thought he'd asked Martha to join them as a constant buffer. Maybe she'd been wrong after all.

"Well, Doctor, what exactly does that even mean?", she asked him, trying for an honestly curious expression.

"What does what mean?", he replied distractedly.

"One trip. Is that one stop... or one adventure... one run for her life... or more like, you know... how we started out: One trip to the future, one to the past."

"But that wasn't on trip, Rose.", the Doctor told her, obviously still not getting the hint. Still, Martha looked at Rose and mouthed "thanks", but Rose wasn't finished yet.

"It's one of the things the Doctor likes to do the most, you know?", she told Martha loudly, "He likes to show people new things. And I get it, it's really great. I got to do that once."

The Doctor snored rather unmanly next to them, while Martha looked really confused.

"Why only once?", she asked.

"Because her pretty boy got a door in his brain.", the Doctor sneered distastefully and Rose was actually sure to hear a slight northern accent shine through.

"Wait. My God, really?! That actually happened? I thought it was... you know... a joke.", Martha screeched, looking between them in shock.

"Pretty boy, really, Doctor? I don't think you wanna go there. Not in this body."

"And what do you mean ´this body´? You guys are making no sense at all.", Martha desperately tried to get a word in, while the Doctor and Rose seemed perfectly content with ignoring her completely.

"Excuse me, I'm not some..."

"Stop it. Both of you!", Martha shouted angrily, making the Doctor look at her open-mouthed and Rose cringe guiltily.

"Do you two really need to do that? Seriously, Rose always teasing and poking, the Doctor acting like a jealous preschooler. Argh. It's annoying."

"I think our conversation has gotten slightly of track. Yes.", the Doctor told them after a moment of stunned silence.

"How about one trip to the future then, Doctor? Something nice?", Rose asked, making big, sad eyes at the Doctor, who couldn't suppress a happy smile, the tension from before all gone in the blink of an eye.

"Fine, if Martha would like that?"

"Very, very much!", Martha told them happily, positively beaming at Rose in gratitude.

"So, I'll think of something nice and..."

"We'll get some nice tea, yeah?", Rose asked him and his happy smile grew even wider.

"Brilliant, yes. Alons-y!"

"Come on, Martha!", Rose said and lead her out of the console room, "You haven't actually seen this place yet, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't. How big is it?"

"Infinite."

"And I am NOT some pretty boy!", the Doctor shouted after them.

The Doctor joined the two laughing women a couple of minutes later, sitting around the kitchen table and a nice, hot cup of tea waiting for him.

"We've landed.", he told them rather unnecessarily, since they had of course felt it and set down to drink his tea.

They sat in comfortable silence like that for a while, before Martha started to giggle into her cup.

"What's so funny?", Rose asked, hoping to get in on the joke.

"It's just... You know. When you imagine time travel and aliens and stuff and... well imagine travelling with an alien and his girlfriend, it sounds so grand. And now we are sitting here. In the kitchen. Drinking tea. It's just... so domestic.", Martha laughed and Rose could definitely see her point: Her life appeared strangely surreal, if Martha put it like that.

"Did you actually say domestic?", the Doctor asked her appalled.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with that?"

"It's through back Thursday.", Rose told her, grinning madly. While the Doctor looked actually hurt.

"More like the day of insiders.", Martha grumbled.

"Where did you bring us anyway, Doctor? Something nice, like... a market?", Rose asked, before she had to explain about the whole regeneration thing.

"What is it with you and markets? No, not a market. But somewhere nice."

They made their way back to the console room, Martha almost skidding in excitement and Rose and the Doctor laughing at her joy.

From his behaviour Rose was expecting some big, beautiful, grand, fantastic... rain?!

"Well, this looks nice.", Martha said with some disappointment in her voice. The Doctor's face fell visibly, as he took in the dark, dirty buildings surrounding them and waste splattered all around them.

"Oh, real rain. London rain. I missed this.", Rose smiled, trying to cheer the Doctor up, "Let's get undercover somewhere."

"This actually feels like plain old earth to me. Present day. Probably a Tuesday.", Martha told them, after they had found cover under a doorway.

"Well, it's not plain old earth. Hold on, hold on. Let me take a look.", the Doctor said, when he spotted some sort of out of order monitor. He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at it. A blond woman appears, saying: "And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey express-way." The woman vanished after that and a beautiful, familiar picture appeared.

"Hang on! That's New New York!", Rose laughed happily, "We're back in New New York."

"You mean New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York.", the Doctor grinned happily at Rose's joy.

"Say that again. I dare you.", Martha told him.

"We're in New New York. On New Earth.", Rose replied. "At least it looked like the picture did last time we were here."

"You've been here before?", Martha asked.

"Well, yes. That was it what Rose wanted, wasn't it? I thought our conversation this morning was all about you showing Martha something."

"Yeah, sure. Didn't think you were listening, though.", Rose answered, fidgeting uncomfortably.

To her utmost surprise the Doctor took her chin in his hand, forced her to look in his eyes and said: "I always listen to you. Always."

Rose stared at his beautiful, brown eyes and leaned forward a little, her breath stuck in her throat. Her brain was racing a million miles an hour and at the same time not working at all. He was going to kiss her, she was sure of it. No excuse, no genetic transfer. Just him. And her. Them.

"Oh, you should have said!", someone shouted loudly next to them, making the Doctor and Rose jump apart in shock and Martha scream in frustration, "How long have you been here? Happy. You want happy?!"

Hatches opened around them, people appearing and shouting different moods at them: "Anger! Mellow! Happy!"

Rose couldn't even follow them, she still felt totally lost buy the sudden change of events.

"No, thanks.", the Doctor told them tersely. At least I'm not the only one, who did not like being interrupted, Rose thought in relief.

"Are they selling drugs?", Martha asked and Rose was really ashamed to realized that she had totally forgotten the other woman. Had the Doctor and her really just almost kissed with Martha standing next to them like a third wheel. Oh dear. That would be cause for a huuuuge apology later. Maybe a leisure palace.

"I think they are selling moods.", came the Doctor's dark reply.

"Same thing, isn't it?", Martha shot back and observed the people in the booths disdainfully.

Suddenly more people emerge from the different corners of the small space , looking tired and ragged, as they approach the merchants, who promptly start shouting again. A young woman approached the both the trio was standing in front of and said: "I want to buy forget."

"I've got forget, my darling. What strength? How much do you want to forget?"

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's swine.", the merchant answered with a hint of real pity in his voice, "Try this. Forget 43. That's two credits."

They exchanged money and the young woman received a patch, that she obviously planed on putting on.

"Hold on!", the Doctor interrupted her, "Sorry, but what exactly happened to your parents?"

"They drove off.", came the matter-of-fact reply.

"Yeah, but they might come back.", the Doctor told her, now completely bewildered at such strange behaviour.

"Everyone goes on the motorway in the end. I've lost them."  
"And that means you want to forget them?", Rose was totally shocked. She would never, ever see her Mum again, either, but that didn't mean she'd want to forget a single thing about her.

"No. No, wait!", the Doctor reached for the woman, who had just looked at rose sadly and stuck the patch on her neck, her eyes instantly dulling: "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway.", the Doctor desperately reminded her.

"Are they? That's nice. I won't keep you.", and as if in trance the woman simply turned around and wondered off.

The time travellers starred after her in disbelieve.

"Soooo, "Martha started carefully, "This is the human race now? A bunch of drug-addicts? How far into the future are we anyway."

"About five billion years.", the Doctor told her distractedly.

"How long since we've been...", Rose started, but was cut off, when someone grabbed her from behind, putting an arm around her, holding her tightly and starting to drag her backwards, while a woman next to her pointed a gun at the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, really, really sorry. We need three, that's all.", the man holding Rose told them, real regret in his voice, but Rose hardly noticed that. Her eyes were fixed on the Doctor, who didn't look surprised. Or worried. Or even scared. He looked furious, absolutely terrifying. Rose had seen the Doctor in a lot of terrible situations before, but even she had never seen him look like that. Funnily enough her only coherent thought at that moment was: Well, that's not an oncoming storm. That's a full-blown tornado.

"Let her go.", he hissed, his voice dangerously low as he slowly walked towards them. The woman holding the gun seemed to realize that the Doctor was completely ignoring the threat and did the worst thing possible: She pointed the gun at Rose. The Doctor froze instantly. His arms outstretched to reach Rose , but his gaze never leaving the man holding her.

"Just let her go and whatever it is you want: We will help you. But let her go RIGHT NOW!", completely gone was the calm demeanour, his rage now blazing freely. Rose felt the man behind her tremble in fear, but he was not letting go. Instead they were now moving backwards as fast, as possible without falling.

"No!", Rose heard the Doctor shout, when her kidnappers dragged her through a door and looked it right in front of her eyes.

The man let's her turn around, only holding her arm while pulling her behind him, the woman's gun still pointed at her.

"You'll better let me go. The Doctor will kill you for this. Worse, he'll let you live, so you can regret it forever. Let me go!"

"Give her some sleep.", the man instructed his partner, ignoring Rose's threat completely.

The woman pulled out another patch and came up behind Rose, who was fully prepared to break someone's nose. Again. She would have threatened them somehow, but if not even the Doctor could do that, she was pretty sure it wouldn't work anyway. She slammed her elbow into the man's stomach with full force, hoping he'd let go, but as he collapsed with a pathetic "Ow", the woman head already reached her and Rose blacked out. Again. Thinking that at least she'd managed one adventure without it.

"They they the air smells of apple grass. Can you imagine?"

The words slowly penetrated the thick, white mist cottoning Rose's thoughts. Apple grass, yes, lovely. Lying on the Doctor's coat, watching the city, apple grass. The Doctor. New New York. New New Doctor.

With a jolt Rose awoke, lying down on a small bed in what looked like the back of a car. Motor home. Whatever.

"The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so.", came her kidnappers dreamy voice.

Rose looked around frantically. She needed to get out, needed to get back. The gun that woman had pointed at her earlier lay only inches away. Careful not to alert her kidnappers to her plan, she slit over and took it, pointing it at the two people in front of her: "Take me back right now. I don't know who you are and I don't really care, just take me back and we'll forget this ever happened."

"I'm sorry, that's not a real gun.", the woman told her nonchalantly. Great, Rose thought, just great. She didn't even bother to check. Her weird kidnappers would not be so calm, if it were real, she knew. So she just threw it down next to her, desperately trying to come up with a different plan.

"What's your name?", the woman asked.

"Rose.", she told her reflexively, still scanning the area.

"Well, I'm Cheen and this is Milo. And I swear we are sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast lane, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friend."

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously, nothing was ever that easy. She had learned that the hard way.

"Seriously," she asked, "just like that?"

"I swear! Look, honesty patch.", and Cheen showed her another one of those dreadful patches attached to her neck.

"I still don't get, how you can justify kidnapping and threatening me with the fact, that you want to get somewhere faster. Where are we going anyway?", for the first time she paid attention to the scenery outside, "And where are we right now?"

"We're on the motorway.", Milo answered, his gaze not wavering from the windscreen.

"And obviously it consists of fog.", Rose told them. She was slowly beginning to let her guard down. The pair really didn't seem all that dangerous. A little simple maybe, but not especially malicious,

"That's the exhaust fumes.", Milo told her, either not understanding or caring about her attempt on sarcasm.

"We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air is so much cleaner and we could stay in Pharmacy Town, because...", Milo's voice trailed off, when he smiled at Cheen with such a happy expression, that Rose almost forgave him for kidnapping her. Almost.

"Well, because of me.", Cheen continued, the same deep happiness radiating of her now, "I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."

Rose felt a painful pang at that. It was so... pregnant yeah, a baby. They sounded so happy.

"Congratulations.", she told them and really meant it. Something was going on here, something weird and she really didn't think that being angry at them would help her solve anything. Or get her back to the Doctor.

"Thank you:", Cheen answered and turned around to smile at her.

"This'll be as fast, as possible. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover and after that it's going to take a while, because there is no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct.", Milo told them proudly.

"It's only ten miles.", Cheen tried to reassure her and Rose almost sighed in relieve. Then miles, ok. She'd get a lift back after that and everything would be all right again.

"How long will we need for that?", she asked hopefully, having no idea how fast cars in the year 5 Billion actually were.

"About six years.", Cheen answered with a thoughtful expression.

Rose had misheard her. Obviously. She could not really have meant that!

"Be just in time for him to start school.", Milo added happily.

Ok, not misheard then.

"What? Six years. Ten miles in six years! So you kidnapped me, effectively stealing what? 12 years of my life, so you could be together, not even thinking about the fact that maybe, maybe I had someone I loved and wanted to be with, too?! Please, please, for the sake of all of humanity: Tell me you're joking!"

At least they had the good grace to look ashamed.

It's okay, Rose told herself, I'll get out of this. I'll find a way. And if not: The Doctor would surely find her, he'd never leave her. But as much as she tried to convince herself, she could not black out that terrible terrifying voice telling her, that he'd left companions behind before.

"No, not to you.", he had said and she would hold him to it.

"Wow.", Rose said, pulling herself out of her dark thoughts, "How many cars are out there?!"

"I don't think anyone really knows.", Cheen answered and handed her something that looked like a biscuit of sorts, "Here we go. Hungry?"

"Oh, thanks, but I'm not really hungry.", Rose replied, but held on to the thing anyway, since Cheen did not seem inclined to take it back, "How far down do we have to go, before we reach that fast lane?"

"Oh, it's right at the bottom, so we have to get underneath the whole traffic jam. Not many people can afford three passengers, you know? That's why it's so empty down there. Rumour has it you can reach up to 30 miles per hour!", Milo told her excitedly.

Rose was about to make a snarky comment on that when she remembered traffic in London and thought better of it.

"And until then we're just supposed to live in here? It's tiny.", Rose remarked, stifling a laughter at the thought of saying: "And your son will stay an only child, I will not listen to any of that. Thank you very much."

"Oh, we've stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise and there is a chemical toilette in the back, that recycles all waste products as food.", Cheen chirped proudly, making Rose immensely grateful not to have eaten a thing.

"Oh, another gap. This is brilliant.", Milo grinned, as they drove down even lower. An artificial voice told them: "Car sign in."

"Car 465 Diamond 6, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely.", the Computer advised them, as they reached yet another lane.

They drove down for what appeared to be hours, maybe they were, Rose had totally lost track of time, as she watched Milo navigate them deeper and deeper through countless cars and there thick, heavy exhaust fumes.

"Another ten layers to go. We're scorching. See?", Milo grinned, as they descended yet another lane. But Rose hardly noticed him. A deep, frighting growling penetrated the cars walls. And Rose was pretty sure it came from beneath them.

"Do you here that?", she asked with a feeling of terrible foreboding. Something was not all right. Really not all right.

"It's that noise.", Cheen answered, awe written in every line on her face, "It's like Kate said, the stories are true."

"Which stories?", Rose desperately tried to keep the fear out of her voice, but danger from deep below really did not remind her of happy times.

"It's the sound of the air vents. That's all.", Milo told them, but Rose got the strong impression that he was trying to convince them as much as himself, "The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."

Rose bend forward a little to look down a little more: "Don't know about you, mate, but that does not look like air vents are working down there."

"Oh, the stories are much better anyway.", Cheen said, still looking inexplicitly exited, "They say people do missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again, because there is something living down there in the smoke. Something huge and hungry. And if you get lost on the road, it's waiting for you."

As if on cue, a distant roar could be heard. "Perfect.", grumbled Rose, "Just perfect."

"But, like I said: Air vents. Going down to the next layer.", Milo told them, but even his voice was quivering slightly now.

"Are you serious? Something is clearly down there and you are driving towards it? We need to get up!", Rose tried to convince him, when they could hear another deep growling beneath them, but Milo ignored her completely, driving down even further until the computer finally told them: " Fast lane access. Please drive safely."

"We made it. The fast lane.", Milo smiled widely, as the looked ahead and couldn't see a single car on the empty lane in front of them.

They drove in relative silence after that, Milo happy about there quick progress, Cheen lost in her own thoughts and Rose trying to figure out a way to get them all out of this.

"How long have you been together, you and that man you were with?", Cheen suddenly asked her, turning around in her seat to look at her.

"We've been travelling together for over two years.", Rose told her tiredly, closing her eyes and resting her head against the wall.

"He looked... scary.", Cheen continued carefully.

"He can be, yes."

"I'm sorry we took you from him."

Slowly Rose opened her eyes again to look at Cheen, who was honestly distraught, "We just didn't know what else to so."

"He'll come for us. And then we'll find out what's going on her, Cheen.", Rose tried to comfort the young woman,

"He looked so scary.", Cheen repeated quietly, "I'm not sure I want him to find us."

Rose opened her mouth to tell Cheen that the Doctor wouldn't hurt her, but in truth she wasn_t sure what exactly the Doctor would do. He had looked scary, true, but was he really that terrifying to people who didn't know him? Maybe she had just been with him too long to see that anymore. The thought of Donna, who had been so afraid of the Doctor that she didn't want to come with them, although it wasn't her he'd been angry at.

He needs someone to stop him, Donna had said.

"Brooklyn turn-off one: closed.", interrupted the computers emotionless voice their discussion.

"What?", Milo asked, disbelieve and shock in his face.

Cheen turned towards the windscreen, "Try again!"

"Brooklyn turn-off one: closed."

"Try the next one."

"Brooklyn turn-off two: closed."

"What do we do?", Cheen looked helplessly at Milo, who tried to keep up a brave face for her sake.

"We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop and by the time we'll come back around, they'll be open."

To make matters worse, the deep growling beneath them started up again. Louder and frighteningly so: nearer.

"Mate, I really don't think those are air vents.", Rose tried again.

"What else could it be?", Milo asked and Rose realized that Milo had long since come to the same conclusion, he was just too scared to admit it. Just a kid, really, Rose thought. A frightened little kid.

"What the hell is that?", Cheen asked, close to tears no and looking at Milo for help. Poor Milo, Rose thought, Cheen had that much trust in him and he didn't want to disappoint her.

"It's just the hydraulics.", he tried to reassure her, while the growling beneath them went on mercilessly.

Rose didn't bother contradicting him. It didn't matter now. They all knew the truth, even if they wouldn't admit it.

"What if Rose is right, Milo? What if something's alive down there?", Cheen asked and turned around to look at Rose pleadingly.

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that.", Milo tried again.

"You would not believe how resourceful life is. It always finds a way, mate.", Rose told him darkly, peering out to try to get a glimpse, anything really.

"Calling Car 465 Diamond 6. Repeat, calling Car 465 Diamond 6.", another voice cut in from the speaker on the dashboard.

"This is Car 465 Diamond 6. Who's that? Where are you?", Milo answered.

"I'm in the fast lane. About 50 yards behind you.", came the reply, "Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?"

"We only have permission to go down. We need the Brooklyn Flyover."", Milo answered, brown furrowed in concentration.

"It's closed. Go back up!"

"We can't. We'll just go round.", Milo was getting desperate know, Rose noticed, still fighting against the realization of what the other voice was really trying to tell him.

"Don't you understand? They are closed. They're always closed!", the voice answered with the same kind of disbelieving tone Rose had used before, not understanding how someone could be so thick, "We're stuck down here and there is something else out there in the fog. Can't you hear it?" Another big roar can be heard, both from beneath and over the speaker.

"Milo...", Rose started, but he interrupted her: "That's the air vents."

"Jehovah, what are you?! Some stupid kid?", the voice shouted in frustration, "Get out of here!"

The sound of something hitting the other car shook Rose into action.

"Milo! We need to..."

"What was that?", Milo exclaimed in horror.

"I can't move!", the voice answered, sounding so utterly defeated that Rose felt tears well up in her eyes, "They've got us!"

"What's...", but this time Rose interrupted Milo: "What is it? Tell me, what you can see. Anything that comes into mind?"

"To late. You need to leave, now! Go, go, go!", the voice shouted again. And then an eary silence fell over the car.

"Milo.", Rose told him, trying to keep her voice calm and steady, "Drive. Just drive, we need to get away from here."

"What, no!", Milo bend over, closer to the speaker, "Hello? Can you here me? Hello? Are you there?!"

"No, they are not! They are dead. No if you want us to live, if you want your son to even be born: Drive. And fast.", Rose shouted, finally shaking Milo from his stupor, who fired up the car and accelerated as fast, as he could. Simultaneously asking for permission to ascend.

They didn't get to far, before something hit them from beneath.

"Go faster!", Cheen shouted in terror.

"I can't. We're at top speed!", Milo answered, his eyes wide in horror.

"No access above.", the computer's cold voice answered there plea.

"But this is an emergency!", Milo shouted at his computer.

"Milo, wait!", Rose interrupted him, when a set of claws appeared in front of them and Milo swayed to avoid them"wait!"

"What?!", Milo cried out, swerving around another claw.

"How do they know where we are? They can't see us, not in that fog. We need to turn of the car! No sound, no heat, no anything! Turn it of!"

"But what if you're wrong? How will we get away then?!"

"We won't. But we can't escape them like this either. It's our only chance!", Rose answered. Milo and Cheen looked at her, desperately wanting, needing her to tell them what to do. They were not used to life or death situation. She was. And if that meant taking charge and saving these poor kids, then so be it.

Milo stopped the car then, everything went dark and quite.

"They've stopped.", Cheen breathed in relief.

"For now, yes. But we're stuck. Can't get away without them noticing.", Rose dampened the mood.

"And we've lost the air con. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe.", Milo extended the list of their problems.

"Oh, brilliant. How long have we got?"

"Eight minutes, maximum.", Milo answered.

"What do we do?", Cheen panicked, hands trembling terribly.

"We wait. And talk. Come on, Cheen, tell me something about yourself.", Rose tried to distract her.

"Nothing to tell.", Cheen responded, "Talking will just make this worse. We need the air."

"Don't think it matters much. Come on, we'll think of something. Ans if we don't: The Doctor will come for us."

"You really have a lot of faith in him, don't you?", Cheen asked, studying her face in amazement.

"Of course I do. It's always like that. Either he comes for me or I have to get back to him. It's what we do.", Rose told her.

"Until the first time it doesn't work.", Milo replied gloomily.

"Well, aren't you mister positive."

"Positive?! Those people behind us died.", Milo answered with such a forlorn look in his eyes, that Rose wanted to hug him. Cheen obviously had the same idea.

"No one's coming. No one.", Milo continued, when Cheen wrapped her arms around him.

"Maybe Rose's scary Doctor will come.", Cheen said.

"My scary Doctor, really?", Rose smiled a little at that.

"Well, he looked kinda nice.", Cheen grinned.

"The last time we were here, he was described as `foxy`", Rose recounted with a font smile.

"Where's home then? I never asked.", Cheen realized.

"Home?", Rose thought about it, "Home is with the Doctor. His ship... he is home."

"I know what you mean.", Cheen smiled and squeezed Milo's hand.

"Two minutes.", Milo informed them, his voice a lot softer now, as he smiled at Cheen sadly.

"We need to get the car back on, yeah?", Rose asked.

"Yes. Need to have it on a bit, then we can try shutting it down for another eight minutes. If we can survive the claws.", Milo aswered.

"That might by us some time. Good thinking, Milo."

"Ready?", he asked them and turned the car back on, when both women nodded .

"Systems back online."

"Good luck.", Milo breathed, as the claws started appearing around them again and he swayed out of their way.

A moment later Rose screamed in surprise, when something grabbed them from beneath.

"Oh no, oh no!", Cheen whimpered, but a second later they were free again.

"Drive. Drive. Drive!", Rose screamed, when something else hit them.

The cars monitor flared to life, and Rose gave a squeal of relief, when she saw the Doctor's face: "Oi! Car 465 Diamond 6. Drive up! And you better bring Rose back to me unharmed!"

"We can't go back up! We'll hit the layer!", Milo objected.

"Just do as he says!", Rose almost climbed over him to drive the car up herself in frustration.

"You've got access above. Now go!", the Doctor shouted form the monitor again and Milo steered the car up, out of the reach of those enormous claws.

"Is that the sky?", Cheen asked in wonder, when they reached higher and higher, "It is! Oh my God, that's the sky. The real sky!"

"And Car 465 Diamond 6, I've send you a flightpath. Come to the Senate.", the Doctor's voice came back.

"On our way!", Rose grinned, crouching closer to the monitor.

"The first rule, Rose, the most important rule!", the Doctor reprimanded her ans Rose was just about to answer, when a voice could be heard behind him, beckoning him away.

"Got the flightpath. We're on our way.", Milo informed them as they drove through what seemed to be totally deserted streets.

"What happened here?", Rose asked, looking around in shock.

"Don't know.", Milo answered sadly, "But that's the Senate right there."

He turned the car off and the three exited the car. Milo and Cheen were looking really uncomfortable, but Rose could hardly wait to get back to the Doctor and Martha.

"You are not coming with?", she asked the couple, when they made no move to follow her.

"Nah,", Cheen told her, "Wanna see the sky. Find out what's going on and... you know."

On an impulse Rose hugged a slightly surprised Cheen, who gladly hugged her back: "I'm not sorry we kidnapped you. You saved us. You and your Doctor."

"He's good at that.", Rose answered and was hugged by Milo as well.

"We'll tell our on stories about you.", he promised her and Rose laughed at that, when another car drove up next to them and Martha emerged, shouting greetings to people inside, when she spotted Rose, screamed and ran at her in full speed.

"You are all right! Oh, thank God!"

"Hey, Martha. It's good to see you, too.", Rose laughed, when she was hugged yet again.

"Oh, the Doctor was so worried! I thought he was going to kill Bran, when he refused to go to the fast lane. Seriously, he jumped through that fog to get to you!", Martha told Rose, her face still flushed in relief and excitement.

"Right.", Milo said uncomfortably, "That's our cue. Goodbye, Rose."

"Goodbye and good luck.", Rose answered and waved when the drove away again, following behind the car, that had brought Martha.

"What did you get up to then?", Rose asked as the two women took the steps to get inside and find the Doctor.

"We went through the door as well and got picked up by Bran, Valerie and there kids. Kittens, Rose, they were kittens!", Martha told her with the clearly amazed person, who had realized how big the universe really was.

"I've met cat nuns once, here in New New York. Couldn't stop staring."

"Bran did not wanna go down to the fast lane, so the Doctor left me with them and jumped out of the car. And that's all I know.", Martha continued.

"He jumped out of the car. With all those fumes out there?!", Rose was shocked, Martha had said it before, sure, but it hadn't really registered then.

"You thought he wouldn't?", Martha answered with a strange expression on her face, but Rose's reply got stuck in her throat, when they reached a huge open room full of skeletons.

"What the...?"

"Doctor?!", Martha shouted.

"Over here!", the Doctor answered somewhere to their left, so they followed his voice quickly, to find him kneeling beside "The Face of Boe!", Rose ran forward and crouched down next to the Doctor. Martha followed a bit more slowly, not quite sure what to think of a giant head.

The Doctor looked up to smile at Rose sadly. "You all right?", he asked, laying his hand on her arm. "Yeah, I'm fine. I always am. You know that.", she answered and tried to shake his concern of, with a wide grin, but she couldn't hold his gaze long and turned her attention back to the Face of Boe.

"Come say hallo, Martha. The Face of Boe is an old friend of ours.", she told Martha.

"And this is Hame.", the Doctor introduced, when Martha set down next to them.

"He's the one that saved you, not me.", he continued, turning to Rose again.

"My lord gave his life to save the city and now he is dying.", Hame explained.

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left!", disagreed vehemently and Rose raised her hand to place it gently on Boes left cheek. "You saved my life once. In a quiz show.", she told him, feeling tears well up in her eyes. The Doctor might deny it, but she knew right then, that it was true. "It's good to breathe the air ones more.", Boe answered, his voice coming from nowhere, "And see your faces one last time."

"Who is he?", Martha asked, real concern now in her voice, when she saw how effected her two companions seemed to be.

"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now.", the Doctor told him firmly.

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most. And if you have lived as long as I have, you realize something very important: Every precious, tiny little moment counts. If and when you lose them in the end, you'll regret every wasted moment."

The Doctor jerked back, as if Boe had hit him and scanned the huge face intently, but the Face of Boe had fallen silent again.

"The legend says more.", Hame interrupted the silence between them.

"Don't. There is no need for that.", came the Doctor's slightly desperate reply.

"He is dying, Doctor, let him speak.", Rose told him calmly and took his hand.

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller.", Hame continued and the Doctor looked as if he wanted to protest again, but Rose just tightened her hold on his hand. This was important, she knew, they had to hear it.

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor.", Boe told them and Rose could feel Martha's head next to her turn around to stare at the Doctor in shock. Don't ask, she begged silently, please don't ask.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Please don't go.", pleaded the Doctor desperately.

"I must.", Boe told him, his voice now almost inaudible, "But know this, Time Lord: You are not alone. And you never will be again." And with those ominous words, the Face of Boe breathed out for the last time.

They made their way back to the TARDIS a little while later, Rose and the Doctor with linked arms for comfort and Martha walking next to them, deep in thoughts. The booths had all closed down and Rose wondered, if they had all wandered off to the overcity.

"Where to now then?", the Doctor asked joyfully, a fake smile plastered over his face, as he let go of Rose's hand to walk up to the console.

"Actually", Martha started, "I think London would be good, you know? Need to get back to my life."

"You don't want to stay?", Rose was really surprised, Martha had seemed so happy and excited before.

"No. I mean, yes. But I don't belong here. I've got school and family and, you know? I need to get back.", she explained.

"Ok, London it is.", the Doctor agreed and set the coordinates.

"But please, please, make it 12 hours, not 12 months.", Rose tried to hide her confusion and disappointment.

"Once. Once. And you're gonna bring that one up forever, won't you?", came his exasperate reply.

Rose grinned widely, when Martha next to her said: "Well, The Face of Boe said you'd be together forever, didn't he?"

Rose's smile vanished instantly and the Doctor's head turned sharply to look at her.

"What?", Martha asked, looking slightly confused, "What else could he have meant?"


End file.
